U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington sought President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's help to convince Hamas to return to the cease-fire negotiation table, as he spoke at his final news conference as the top U.S. diplomat on Thursday.
Blinken told reporters that he discussed bringing Hamas back to the table with Erdoğan, urging him to use his influence and leverage, to reach a deal.
Hamas returned to the table after this, the top U.S. diplomat said.
Blinken visited Türkiye in December when he held meetings with President Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The top White House spokesman had also previously said the U.S. was engaged in "active conversations" with Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar to reach a cease-fire between Hamas and Gaza.
