Turkish and Fatah officials discussed the reconciliation process between Palestinian factions on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz met with Fatah Central Committee Secretary General Jibril al-Rajoub, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.
They also discussed the latest developments in Gaza, but no further details about the meeting were provided.
Fatah is the main party in the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority that administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and one of the two major Palestinian factions besides the resistance group Hamas, which has ruled the besieged Gaza Strip since 2007.
Hamas and Fatah have been bitter rivals since Hamas fighters ejected Fatah from the Gaza Strip after deadly clashes that followed Hamas's resounding victory in a 2006 election.
The pair agreed on national unity and decided to set up a “reconciliation government” after meetings in China last month, although no tangible developments have followed.
Hamas prioritizes armed struggle, although its leadership is firm on a united and single Palestinian state, bringing together Gaza, the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, while Fatah wants Gaza to be transferred to the control of legitimate Palestinian authorities.
Türkiye is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has hosted leaders of both Hamas and Fatah.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also brought together Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’ political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran recently, as a step toward reconciliation.
Abbas was in Ankara last week to deliver a historic speech at the Turkish Parliament, where he declared his intention to go to Gaza “even if this would cost my life,” amid Israel’s brutal war on Hamas in Gaza.
He said Gaza cannot be considered a separate entity and it was part of the Palestine state, adding that Israel’s genocide aimed to destroy the entire Palestinian state.
Ankara has been fiercely critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which it says amounts to genocide and has halted all bilateral trade. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire.
Türkiye backs a two-state solution within 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital.
