Turkish sources said on Sunday İbrahim Kalın, head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), discussed recent developments in Gaza cease-fire negotiations with Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas.
The two men talked about steps to secure a permanent cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, according to information obtained from officials.
Kalın expressed condolences to Haniyeh after his sister was killed in an Israeli attack and for the Palestinian people killed in the ongoing offensive by Israel. He further stated that Türkiye would continue to stand by the Palestinians. Kalın and Haniyeh last met in Qatar over cease-fire negotiations.
Türkiye is a staunch supporter of Hamas, which it describes as a resistance movement, unlike the Western countries which mostly define it as a terrorist group. The country has denounced Israel's attacks on Gaza after last year's offensive by Hamas. It has called for an immediate cease-fire and criticized what it calls unconditional support for Israel by the West. Ankara also has halted all trade with Israel and said it had decided to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
A senior Palestinian Hamas official said Saturday in Beirut that negotiations for an agreement with Israel on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal had not made any progress. A plan presented last month by U.S. President Joe Biden, which he said was proposed by Israel, included a six-week truce accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. According to the U.S. news site Axios, "three sources with direct knowledge" said Washington had presented a "new language for parts of" the proposed deal.
On Saturday, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official based in Lebanon, confirmed that the movement had received the latest proposal on June 24, but that it included "nothing new."
"We can say that there is no real progress in the negotiations to stop the (Israeli) aggression so far," he said at a news conference. The plan presented by Biden has so far failed to result in a deal, with both sides sticking to their demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will continue the war until Hamas is totally defeated and all hostages are freed. Hamas insists on a permanent cease-fire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
Hamdan said the proposals were "merely a waste of time and provide additional time for the occupation (Israel) to practise genocide." He also said Hamas was being pressured to accept Israel's deal "as it is without modification."
Israel's offensive since last October has killed at least 37,834 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
