Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had a phone call with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Wednesday during which they discussed efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a ministry spokesperson announced.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said on X on Wednesday that the phone call was initiated by Blinken and that Fidan and Blinken also talked about regional developments.
Keçeli gave no further details about the content of the conversation.
Dışişleri Bakanımız @HakanFidan, ABD Dışişleri Bakanı Antony Blinken ile bugün (21 Ağustos) bir telefon görüşmesi gerçekleştirdi.
Karşı tarafın talebi üzerine yapılan görüşmede, Hamas ve İsrail arasındaki ateşkes müzakerelerindeki son durum ve bölgedeki gelişmeler ele alındı.
— Öncü Keçeli | Dışişleri Bakanlığı Sözcüsü (@SpoxTR_MFA) August 21, 2024
The phone call took place at a time when Blinken was wrapping up his ninth visit to the region without an agreement for a ceasefire.
Turkey, which has a good relationship with Hamas, is not directly involved in the ceasefire talks, which were conducted by Qatar, the US and Egypt.
In their latest effort to secure a ceasefire, Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar pinned their hopes on a US “bridging proposal” aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-long war, after negotiations last week were paused without a breakthrough.
Israel began pounding Gaza after Hamas militants carried out a surprise attack in Israel on October 7 that claimed some 1,200 lives.
Israeli air and ground attacks in Gaza have resulted in more than 40,000 deaths since October 7 according to the local health ministry in addition to causing massive destruction in the enclave.