Turkiye, Hamas discuss 2nd phase of Gaza truce deal

ANKARA — Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Wednesday with political bureau officials of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the agreement to its second phase, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

The source said the Hamas officials told Fidan that they had fulfilled their requirements as part of the ceasefire deal, but that Israel's continued targeting of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from moving to the next phase.

The Hamas members also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods such as medication, equipment for housing and fuel were needed, the source added, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday denied any intention to resettle the Gaza Strip after earlier remarks that suggested Israel would one day want to do so.

Speaking at a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Katz said the military would never leave all of Gaza and planned to station a type of unit — Nahal — that has historically played a role in establishing Israeli communities, including settlements.

After Israeli media reported the comment as a plan to resettle Gaza, where Israel dismantled settlements in 2005, Katz issued a statement saying, "The government has no intention of establishing settlements in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Katz's announcement was "a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement" and "completely goes against" a United States-backed peace plan.

Also on Tuesday, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is a "dangerous step" aimed at tightening control over Palestinian territory.

The move extends "the policies of apartheid", undermines the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and destroys "any real prospect of stability", the ministry said in a statement.

The decision is part of Israel's efforts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, it said.

Agencies - Xinhua