Ibrahim Kalın, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), who was part of cease-fire talks for Gaza in Egypt, hosted a delegation from the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Istanbul on Saturday. The meeting came ahead of a planned reopening of the Rafah border crossing for aid to the Palestinian enclave.
Security sources said Kalın held talks with Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau and head of the negotiation team, and other members of the group.
The meeting addressed the Gaza cease-fire agreement, which has moved into its second phase.
The two delegations agreed to work in consultation on increasing humanitarian aid, the opening of the Rafah border crossing in both directions, the commencement of duties by the National Committee for Gaza Management (NGAC), and other related issues.
During the meeting, the Hamas delegation expressed gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Türkiye's mediation and guarantor role in efforts to secure peace in Gaza, as well as for Ankara's increasingly prominent role in the plan's second phase.
The Israeli Security Cabinet is set to convene on Sunday to discuss the opening of the Rafah crossing, as media reports suggest that Israel will only do so if the remains of the last hostage in Gaza are handed over.
The crossing near the southern city of Rafah that links Gaza to Egypt has been closed for nearly a year as Israel continues to restrict access to the war-torn coastal strip despite a cease-fire in place since October last year.
Ali Shaath, the head of the new transitional administration tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, announced the reopening of the crossing on Thursday.
However, Israel reportedly continues to oppose such a move, demanding that the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza be handed over first, as agreed in the peace deal mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Saturday evening to discuss the second phase of the Gaza peace plan.
Netanyahu's government has repeatedly insisted that it will only enter the second phase of the agreement when the first phase is completed, which stipulates the release of all Israeli hostages from Gaza, including the dead.
