Blinken asks Turkey to use influence with Hamas to reach Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday he saw “encouraging signs” of progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza, urging Turkey to use its influence to encourage Hamas to accept, Agence France-Presse reported.

His remarks came after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the second leg of his Syria crisis tour following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“We discussed Gaza, and we discussed I think the opportunity … to get a ceasefire in place. And what we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks are more encouraging signs that that is possible,” Blinken told reporters in Ankara.

“We talked about the imperative of Hamas saying ‘yes’ to the agreement that’s possible, to finally help bring this to an end,” he said.

“And we appreciate very much the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas to try to bring this to conclusion,” he added.

Blinken also discussed efforts toward a Gaza ceasefire when he arrived in Jordan on Thursday on what was his 12th visit to the Middle East since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ attack. According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 44,600 people have been killed in Gaza since then, mostly civilians. The UN has said the figures are reliable.