Hamas Delegation Meets Turkish FM, Highlights Israel’s Ceasefire Violations
A delegation from the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas met on Saturday with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul.
The meeting discussed the ceasefire in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation in the war-torn enclave, as well as Israeli violations to the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Violations
On Saturday, Fidan met with members of Hamas political bureau in Istanbul, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, Hamas said in a statement that its delegation was led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya.
The meeting discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and the situation in Gaza following the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which took effect on October 10, 2025.
During the meeting, the Palestinian movement presented a document detailing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement. These violations include bombing Gaza, killing around 250 Palestinians, keeping Rafah border crossing closed, and other violations.
Humanitarian Conditions
Al-Hayya also informed the Turkish Foreign Minister of the dire humanitarian conditions endured by Palestinians in Gaza. Earlier on Saturday, Gaza Media Office condemned what it described as “Israeli delays” in allowing aid and commercial trucks into the Strip.
It noted that the number of trucks that have entered Gaza since the ceasefire agreement has reached 3,203, including 639 commercial trucks and 2,564 aid trucks, among them 84 trucks carrying diesel fuel and 31 trucks carrying cooking gas.
In the light of this, the Gaza Media Office blamed Israel for the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Strip due to the continued blockade and the arbitrary measures that impede the flow of basic supplies.
Hamas Commitment to Ceasefire
During the meeting with Fidan, Hamas reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. With regards to this, al-Hayya reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire terms, including searching for and returning the remaining hostages’ bodies.
He also stressed the need to move forward with the national-level steps, including the formation of an independent body to run Gaza and the completion of Israel’s full withdrawal from the Strip.
Since the ceasefire came into force, Hamas has returned all the 20 living hostages and the bodies of 17 out of the 28 deceased hostages. The group also returned the remains of an unidentified person and the partial remains of a deceased Israeli hostage who had already been recovered early in the war.
Israel accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the return of the bodies, while the Palestinian movement said the process required time and technical support due to the large-scale destruction in the enclave, where the bodies are buried under rubble. As a result, Egypt has sent a technical team equipped with heavy machinery to help locate and recover the hostages’ bodies.
Next Steps in Gaza
Fidan’s meeting with Hamas representatives came two days ahead of a planned meeting in Istanbul, where Türkiye will host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, and the UAE – the countries that met with the US President, Donald Trump, on September 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss his peace plan for Gaza.
The Istanbul meeting aims to discuss the ceasefire and the next steps in Gaza. The Turkish Foreign Minister said that the meeting would “evaluate our progress and discuss what we can achieve together in the next stage,” adding that the “topics being discussed currently are how to proceed to the second stage, the stability force.”
The second phase of the peace plan includes the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to pave the way for the disarmament of Hamas and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Although several countries expressed interest in joining the force, they asked for a UN mandate for the force. Furthermore, Israel said it would decide which foreign troops would join the ISF in Gaza, rejecting any involvement of Türkiye in the ISF.
