Türkiye in contact with all sides in Gaza crisis: Fidan
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint news conference with the Egyptian foreign minister in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 14, 2023. (AFP Photo)


Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye is in contact with all sides of the ongoing crisis in Gaza to facilitate a cease-fire.

Fidan told a live broadcast late Friday that Ankara has been engaged in busy diplomacy to facilitate cease-fire, humanitarian aid and a possible prisoner exchange.

He also reiterated again that Ankara is proposing a guarantorship system with hopes to find a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as he suggested that Türkiye can be a guarantor.

Fidan also said the problem of Muslim countries is that they do not recognize their potential, and develop a joint stance to take action for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue.

He noted that many countries in the region cannot openly display their true stance on the Palestine-Israel issue as they're dealing with their own political, economic or security issues, while they are bargaining with the West and the U.S., which use their problems as trump cards against them

Fighting began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multipronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing settler violence.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Under Israel's siege, Gaza is currently undergoing a dire humanitarian crisis, with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out, as civilians flee to the south following Israel's warning to evacuate northern areas.

Reiterating that civilians must not be targeted, Fidan said that Türkiye is engaged in busy diplomatic traffic to ensure the protection of civilians, the flow of vital aid as well as reaching calm.