Egypt to host summit for release of Israel hostages held by resistance in Gaza, Turkiye says

Egypt is set to host a summit involving Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Saturday on the release of hostages held by the Palestinian resistance, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister has announced.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Beirut alongside his Lebanese counterpart yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that “many countries” had directly requested Turkiye secure the release of Israeli citizens, following the resistance’s operation into Israeli-held territory on 7 October.

Fidan then revealed that Egypt will be hosting a summit in that regard on Saturday, according to the Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency. This would be the first such meeting aiming to resolve an issue related to hostilities between the Palestinian resistance and Israel.

Fidan’s comments came after he made his first visit to Egypt as foreign minister over the weekend, meeting his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo and together calling on Tel Aviv to ensure access for humanitarian aid delivery to the completely besieged Gaza Strip.

His announcement did, however, come before Israel hit a Palestinian hospital in Gaza killing over 500 people and it is now unclear whether Saturday’s meeting is set to take place. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan cancelled a meeting with US President Joe Biden due to be held tomorrow after news of the air strike broke.

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As Israel continues to intensify its bombardment of Gaza and its people, one of its key aims is to move Palestinians in the land strip further south – where they are amassing at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt – in order to exile them into Egypt’s Sinai desert.

Cairo, however, has reinforced the border with concrete blocks and is refusing to open the crossing for fleeing Gazans, while Israel has said aid convoys entering Gaza from Egypt will be targeted.

The Turkish foreign minister also held a call with Hamas’ Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh on Monday, in which they discussed “the latest developments in Palestine and the possibility of release of civilians” held by the group, according to a readout by the ministry.

Turkiye has long held talks and diplomatic meetings with Hamas’s political wing over the years, but this is the first reported instance of direct communication between the two since the resistance group’s operation earlier this month, further showing that Ankara is positioning itself as a potential mediator between Israel and Hamas, as well as the wider network of Palestinian political players and aspirations for statehood.

READ: Turkiye strongly condemns ‘barbaric attack’ on hospital in Gaza