Ibrahim Kalın, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), met senior leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas on Sunday. The talks focused on the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and efforts to maintain a cease-fire as the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian enclave exceeded 56,000 since 2023.
Among those attending the meeting was Mohammad Darwish, head of Hamas’ political council, and talks were held at an undisclosed location. Security sources said talks concentrated on Türkiye’s efforts to end the conflict and "ensure the immediate passage of aid" to Gaza.
They also spoke of "the need to reach a consensus among Palestinian groups during this critical period ... (and) the steps to be taken to achieve a permanent cease-fire in Gaza," the sources said.
The meeting came after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, saying Friday it could happen "within the next week."
Mediators have engaged in months of negotiations aimed at ending 20 months of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, where Israel also stopped all food entering over two months ago, leading to warnings of famine.
It has since allowed a resumption of some food deliveries through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation involving U.S. security contractors, with Israeli troops at the periphery.
Witnesses and Gaza officials have reported multiple instances of dozens of Palestinians being killed by Israeli troops while trying to get aid.
NATO member Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but the more brutal Israeli attacks became, the harsher Ankara has made its criticism. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
Türkiye also maintains close ties with Hamas, which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deems a liberation organization, unlike Western nations, which classify it as a "terrorist group."
In addition to delivering humanitarian aid, the Turkish government has sought to rally international organizations, including the United Nations, NATO and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to both restrain Israel and encourage cooperation between Palestinian factions, most notably between Hamas and the Fatah movement.
