Türkiye working to ensure Gaza gets aid, Erdoğan tells Haniyeh
A Turkish Red Crescent worker is seen in front of an aircraft filled with humanitarian supplies sent from Türkiye to Gaza, Oct. 13, 2023. (AA File Photo)


President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh that Türkiye is working to ensure Gaza receives humanitarian aid and injured Palestinians can be treated in Türkiye when needed.

Erdoğan and Haniyeh discussed the latest developments regarding the Gaza crisis in a phone call on Saturday.

The president also told Haniyeh that Türkiye is striving to ensure an immediate cease-fire and will continue the international fight for lasting peace, the establishment of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital.

Earlier on Saturday, Erdoğan spokes with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzi, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the Cairo Peace Summit as part of efforts to bring calm to the Gaza Strip.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

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

The death toll in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israeli attacks has climbed to 4,385 including 1,756 children on Saturday, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.

Earlier Saturday, a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.