Alper Sasmaz
13 January 2025•Update: 13 January 2025
ANKARA
The Turkish intelligence chief and Hamas Political Bureau officials agreed on Monday to maintain efforts toward a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Ibrahim Kalin, head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), had a phone call with Hamas Political Bureau officials, security sources said.
The discussions addressed progress in the ongoing negotiations with Israel, and the two sides agreed to continue the efforts for a cease-fire. US officials have suggested a deal may be near.
Türkiye is a major international supporter of the Palestinian cause and efforts for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Prisoner swap and cease-fire talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, have been interrupted several times due to new conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 46,600 people, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
