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☆ Middle East Crisis Turkey Severs Trade With Israel, Citing Conditions in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Gulsin Harman | Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey said late Thursday that it had halted all trade with Israel until “uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,” signaling further deterioration in relations between the two countries. Turkey’s Trade Ministry said in a statement that exports and imports “for all products” would pause. Mr. Katz also said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries. Turkey reported $5.4 billion in exports to Israel in 2023 and $1.64 billion in imports, according to United Nations figures. The Turkish leader has also forcefully defended Hamas and recently met with Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political leader, and other Hamas officials in Istanbul on April 20.

Persons: Israel Katz, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr, Katz, Erdogan, Ismail Haniyeh, “, “ Israel, Hakan Fidan Organizations: Turkey’s Trade Ministry, Bloomberg, Foreign Ministry, United Nations, Ministry, Trade Ministry, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, “ Israel, Palestine

☆ Hamas officials say group willing to disarm if Palestinian state is established
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Abbas Allawati | Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Palestinian militant group has long called for the Jewish state to be destroyed. Basem Naim, an Istanbul-based member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN on Thursday that the group would agree to disarm if an independent Palestinian state was established. Hamas has traditionally rejected a two-state solution that would see a Palestinian state established alongside Israel and has instead advocated the creation of a Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine that today encompasses Israel, the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. Barghouti said Hamas indicated as far back as 2007, when it led a Palestinian national unity government, that it is willing to accept a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a news conference in the Qatari capital Doha that Hamas is willing to function solely as a political party once a Palestinian state is created, citing meetings between the group and Turkish officials.

Persons: Basem Naim, Al Qassam, ”, Mustafa Barghouti, Efraim Inbar, Israel ”, Israel “, Netanyahu, Khalil al, Hayya, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hayyah, Barghouti, Naim, Hakan Fidan, “ Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian National Initiative, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, Security, Associated Press, AP, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Oslo Accords, Turkish, Qatari Locations: Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Palestinian, Palestine, East Jerusalem, United States, Israeli, Oslo, Doha, Turkish

☆ Turkey restricts exports to Israel, saying its request to airdrop aid to Gaza was denied
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Scott Mclean | Caitlin Danaher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Istanbul/London CNN —Turkey has announced restrictions on exports to Israel after the Turkish foreign minister accused Israel of denying a request to airdrop aid to Gaza. Speaking at a press conference in Ankara late Monday, the Turkish foreign minister said Turkey was taking “a series of new measures against Israel” after Israel had denied its request to join a Jordanian aid operation. “Today we learned that our request, which was welcomed by the Jordanian authorities, was rejected by Israel,” Hakan Fidan said. Along with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey is the biggest donor of aid to Gaza, according to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In a statement Tuesday, the CHP criticized the Turkish government for continuing to trade with Israel despite publicly condemning its attacks on Gaza.

Persons: Israel, Israel ”, ” Hakan Fidan, Gazans, ”, Israel Katz, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “, ” Katz, ” “, ” Volkan Demir, Lauren Izso, Anna Cooban Organizations: London CNN, Turkish Ministry of Trade, Israel, United Arab, Republican People’s Party, CHP Locations: Istanbul, London, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Ankara, Jordanian, Territories, United States, ” “ Israel, United Arab Emirates, CHP’s, Tel Aviv

☆ Turkey, U.S. discuss Ukraine, Gaza, ways to improve ties, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish and U.S. officials held comprehensive talks about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and various bilateral issues during meetings in Washington, Turkey's foreign minister said late on Friday. The NATO allies started the meetings, dubbed the Strategic Mechanism, on Thursday to discuss efforts to move beyond deep policy disagreements and improve cooperation in other areas. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said officials from the countries held several rounds of discussions on topics including Syria, the Ukraine, Gaza, defense industry cooperation, energy, and counterterrorism. Turkey is also deeply concerned over U.S. support for Kurdish militants in Syria, whom Ankara deems terrorists. He said Turkey was open to discussing the matter but Washington needed to be "open minded".

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan Organizations: NATO, U.S Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Gaza, Washington, Turkish, Syria, Ankara, Turkey, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian

☆ Erdogan, Putin to Discuss Ukraine and Grain Deal During Turkey Visit -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative during a visit to Ankara by the Russian leader, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday. A Turkish official told Reuters last week he would visit Turkey on Feb. 12. Ankara has sought to persuade Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative - brokered by Turkey and the United Nations - that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grain during the war via the Black Sea. Speaking at a press conference in the Maltese capital Valletta, Fidan said Turkey was working with Ukraine and Russia to revive the accord. The Kremlin has said Erdogan and Putin would discuss setting up a gas hub in Turkey and the war in Ukraine during the visit.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Erdogan, Putin, Jonathan Spicer, Alison Williams Organizations: NATO, Reuters, United Nations, Kyiv Locations: ANKARA, Ukraine, Ankara, Russian, Turkey, Russia, Maltese, Valletta, Moscow, Syria, Libya, Southern Caucasus, Israel, Gaza

☆ Turkey to Discuss 'New Mechanism' for Ukraine Black Sea Grain Exports With Russia - Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will discuss a new mechanism to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his upcoming visit to Turkey, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday. There are efforts to find "new methods" to transport Ukrainian grain to the world markets, Fidan said in an interview with private A Haber television. Ankara has sought to persuade Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Moscow pulled out of in July 2023, a year after it was implemented. The accord was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to provide safe passage to exports from Ukrainian ports. Fidan said some ships had managed to transport Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea, even without the accord in place.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hakan Fidan, Putin, Erdogan, Fidan, Haber, Huseyin Hayatsever, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Turkish, Initiative, Moscow, United, Kyiv Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Russian, NATO, Ukraine, Ankara, Russia, United Nations, Ukrainian, Israel, Gaza, Moscow

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

☆ Turkish Parliament to Debate Sweden's NATO Bid on Tuesday -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Huseyin HayatseverANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's general assembly is set to debate Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, three sources from parliament said. But NATO member Turkey raised objections over what it said was the two countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Erdogan sent Sweden's bid to parliament in October, but has also linked its ratification with U.S. approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. After talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expected Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid "in coming weeks." The parliament's foreign affairs commission approved the bid last month in the first step of the ratification process.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Sweden's, Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken, Christina Fincher Organizations: Turkish, NATO, Finland's, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, White House, U.S, Congress, Erdogan's AK Party, CHP Locations: Huseyin Hayatsever ANKARA, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Ankara, Hungary, United States, Stockholm, Canada, Netherlands

☆ Sweden expects Turkey to approve its NATO membership 'within weeks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS — Sweden expects Turkey to approve its NATO membership "within weeks," the country's foreign affairs minister told CNBC after a months-long impasse over Stockholm's future within the alliance. Sweden sent a formal application to join NATO back in May 2022, alongside Finland. The latter became an official member in April 2023, but Sweden has been kept waiting by member nations Hungary and Turkey. During a NATO summit in July, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to let Sweden into the alliance. "I had a bilateral with my colleague the foreign minister of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, where he told me he expects the ratification to take place within weeks," Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström said Wednesday in Brussels.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ulf Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Hungary's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Tobias Billström, Billström Organizations: Swedish, NATO, BRUSSELS —, CNBC, Kurdistan Workers Party, Foreign Locations: Vilnius, BRUSSELS, BRUSSELS — Sweden, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Turkish, Brussels

☆ Turkey Expects to Ratify Sweden Accession to NATO 'Within Weeks', Swedish Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. But Tayyip Erdogan, president of NATO member Turkey, raised objections over what he said was the countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Tobias Billstrom, Hakan Fidan, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers, European Union Locations: BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Brussels, Turkish

☆ Turkey expects to ratify Sweden accession to NATO 'within weeks', Swedish minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 28, 2023. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Tobias Billstrom, SAUL LOEB, Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Turkish, Swedish, NATO, NATO Headquarters, Rights, Kurdistan Workers, European Union, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Turkish

☆ Turkey Told NATO That Sweden Ratification Could Come Before Year-End, US Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told NATO counterparts on Tuesday he was working hard on Sweden's NATO ratification which is currently being debated by the Turkish parliament and provided a likely timeline of before year-end for the Nordic country to formally join the alliance, a senior State Department official said.

Persons: Hakan Fidan Organizations: Turkish, NATO, Nordic, State Department Locations: BRUSSELS, Turkish

☆ Erdogan tells UN chief Israel must be tried in international courts for Gaza crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for what he called war crimes it committed in Gaza, the Turkish presidency said. Israel has mounted an offensive by air and ground against Hamas militants in Gaza in which more than 15,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. "During the call, President Erdogan said Israel continues to shamelessly trample on international law, the laws of war, and international humanitarian law by looking in the eyes of the international community, and it must be held accountable for the crimes it committed in front of international law," it said in a statement. Erdogan has called the Israeli attacks on Gaza a genocide and accused Israel of being a "teror state".

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Olaf Scholz, Liesa, General Antonio Guterres, Erdogan, Guterres, Israel, Hakan Fidan, Alison Williams, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Tuesday, United Nations, Security, Wednesday, . Security, Arab League, of Islamic Cooperation, European Union, Israel, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights ANKARA, Israel, Gaza, New York, Turkey, United States, European, Spain, Belgium

☆ Group of Muslim countries to push for Gaza ceasefire -Turkish source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ANKARA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - A newly formed group made up of senior officials from several Muslim countries will visit the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members and others to urge an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Tuesday. "The primary goal of the contact group is for a ceasefire to be announced as soon as possible and for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza," the source said. The Palestinian militant group Hamas' Oct. 7 raid, the deadliest in Israel's 75-year history, prompted Israel to invade Gaza. The group will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron during visits to Britain and France on Wednesday, the source said. Turkish media reported the group would visit France and Britain on Wednesday.

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan, Al Jazeera, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Bernadette Baum Organizations: United Nations Security, Arab League, of Islamic Cooperation, Palestinian Authority, Security, Palestinian, Hamas, Turkish, British, Britain, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Gaza, Turkish, Riyadh, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, United States, China, Russia, Britain, France, Beijing, Israel, Moscow, Algeria, Turks, Istanbul

☆ Israel Says It Has Isolated Gaza City After ‘Large’ Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Many of those groups want to see the war in Gaza widen and say they are ready to take on the United States because of its support for Israel. “The attacks, the threats coming from militia that are aligned with Iran are totally unacceptable,” Mr. Blinken said in brief remarks to reporters at the Baghdad airport before his departure. Mr. al-Sudani is “in a tough position,” said Inna Rudolf, a senior research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London. Mr. al-Sudani assumed office after being chosen by a coalition of Shia parties in Iraq, some of which have close with ties to Iran, and he has augmented their power since. But he has also tried to keep up Iraq’s ties with Europe, the Arab world and the United States.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Hashd, “ Antony Blinken, ” Ali, ” —, —, Mr, “, Sudani, ”, Inna Rudolf, ’, Hakan Fidan Organizations: Israel, Popular Mobilization Forces, Hezbollah, United, U.S, Publicly, U.S . State Department, International Center, King’s College London, Hamas Locations: Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, Gaza, United States, Syria, Iraq, U.S, Hasakah, Europe, Israel, ”, Ankara, Japan

☆ In Turkey, Blinken discusses efforts to expand aid in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ANKARA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday to discuss efforts to expand humanitarian aid in Gaza, and to prevent the war between Israel and militant Palestinian group Hamas from spreading. The meeting between Blinken and Fidan lasted two and a half hours, a U.S. State Department official said. No talks took place between Blinken and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticised Washington over its "unlimited support to Israel". Blinken said at the airport that the United States has made some good progress on humanitarian assistance to Gaza. As Blinken met Fidan in Ankara, dozens of people gathered outside the foreign ministry building to protest U.S. support for Israel.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Blinken, Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Jonathan Ernst, Israel, Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, Simon Lewis, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Spicer, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S . State Department, Turkish, Hamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, REUTERS, NATO, Israel, Police, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkish, Ankara, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Blinken, U.S, Washington, United States, Turkey, Fidan, Europe, America, Palestine, State, Syria, Iraq

Mr. Blinken sought to maintain those efforts during his trip, which included stops in Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. “Countries are very much engaged in trying to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” Mr. Blinken said on Monday after meeting with Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara. But beyond emphasizing the stakes of any escalation to Iran, Mr. Blinken’s trip appeared to have far more mixed results. The constant stream of images of dead Palestinians has been stoking widespread anger, and Arab leaders affirmed privately to Mr. Blinken that their public talk of a cease-fire wasn’t hollow. They need one immediately, they told Mr. Blinken.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Mr, Hakan Fidan, Israel, Biden Organizations: Pentagon, U.S . Central Command, American, Sunday, Central Command, Mr, U.S Locations: Iran, East, United States, Israel, U.S, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Ankara, Syria, Gaza, Egypt

[1/3] Turkish police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse Pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against the U.S. and Israel near the Incirlik Air Base, which is housing U.S. troops, in Adana, southern Turkey November 5, 2023. Incirlik, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, also houses U.S. troops. Footage from the protests showed police firing tear gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, rocks, and other items at police, who fired smoke bombs at crowds. Scuffles broke out between the crowds and security forcesIHH President Bulent Yildirim addressed crowds in Adana and urged them to refrain from attacking police.

Persons: Dilara, Antony Blinken, Israel, Scuffles, Bulent Yildirim, IHH, Hakan Fidan, Dilara Senkaya, Murad Sezer, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, U.S, Incirlik, Base, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, U.S, Adana, Turkey, Rights ADANA, Ankara, Gaza, Turkish, State, Syria, Iraq

☆ Pro-Palestinian Crowds Try to Storm Air Base Housing U.S. Troops in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Incirlik, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, also houses U.S. troops. Footage from the protests showed police firing tear gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, rocks, and other items at police, who fired smoke bombs at crowds. Scuffles broke out between the crowds and security forcesIHH President Bulent Yildirim addressed crowds in Adana and urged them to refrain from attacking police. (Reporting by Dilara Senkaya, Murad Sezer, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, and Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Persons: Dilara Senkaya, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Antony Blinken, Israel, Scuffles, Bulent Yildirim, IHH, Hakan Fidan, Murad Sezer, Ali Kucukgocmen, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, U.S, Hamas, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Israel Locations: Mehmet Emin Caliskan ADANA, Turkey, Ankara, Gaza, Israel, Turkish, Adana, U.S, State, Syria, Iraq

☆ Qatar's prime minister: Hostage release talks progressing, hopeful for breakthrough 'soon'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani makes statements to the media with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Doha, Qatar, October 13, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDOHA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday that negotiations the Gulf Arab state is leading to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are progressing and he is hopeful there will soon be a breakthrough. Qatar's foreign ministry urged de-escalation and warned that an Israeli ground assault on the densely populated enclave would make freeing hostages "much more difficult." "There is some progress and some breakthrough and we remain hopeful," said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at a press conference in the Qatari capital. Also speaking in Doha, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said an Israeli ground operation into Gaza would turn the fighting there into a massacre.

Persons: Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Antony Blinken, Jacquelyn Martin, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Mohammed, Majed Al Ansari, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Andrew Mills, Nayera Abdallah, Maha El, Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Qatar's, U.S, Rights, Qatar, Turkish, Thomson Locations: Doha, Qatar, Gaza, Thani, Israel, Israeli, Ukraine, Russia

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament as he attends the reopening of the Turkish parliament after the summer recess in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2023. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, which he said amounted to genocide, and urged governments worldwide to work for a humanitarian ceasefire in the region. It has offered to mediate and has sent humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip that is stuck in Egypt because borders are closed. Erdogan also said Ankara was working to end the fighting before it reached "a point of no return". Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday criticized Wednesday's visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Erdogan, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Hakan Fidan, Wednesday's, Joe Biden, Israel, Biden, Fidan, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Gaza, Twitter, U.S, America, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Handout, Rights ANKARA, Israel, Gaza, Egypt

☆ Hamas hostages: what we know so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has responded by pounding Gaza with air strikes, killing thousands, and has said it will act to free the hostages while wiping out Hamas. Hamas has suggested the hostages could be swapped for approximately 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel has said that there will be no end to the blockade of the enclave without freedom for Israeli hostages. Israel says the hostages were taken to Gaza but their exact whereabouts within the enclave are unknown, making their rescue more complicated. U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration is "workin’ like hell" to find American hostages held by Hamas.

Persons: Rachel Goldberg, Hersh Goldberg Polin, Ammar Awad, Israel, Kan, Mia Schem, Jake Sullivan, Jim Risch, Alberto Fernandez, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Ofir Engel, Kibbutz Be'eri, Garcovich, Ivan Illaramendi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gal Hirsch, Hakan Fidan, Joe Biden, Britain's Sunak, Argentina's Fernandez, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Biden, Charlie Devereux, Crispian Balmer, Kylie MacLellan, Patricia Rua, John Irish, James Mackenzie, Patricia Zengerle, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Reuters, U.S, French, Tel Aviv . U.S, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, Rafah, Egypt, Thailand, Argentine, France, Portugal, Portuguese, Chilean, Spanish, Italy, Turkey, Germany, U.S, Franco, Berlin, Tel Aviv

☆ Lebanon-Israel border clashes escalate, 5 Hezbollah fighters killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Violence escalated on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Tuesday with five fighters from Lebanon's heavily armed Hezbollah group killed during operations against Israel, security sources in Lebanon said. Hezbollah confirmed that five of its fighters had been killed but it was not immediately clear if any of them were the same ones referred to by Israel. The al-Manar television channel run by Hezbollah reported "fierce Israeli shelling" on Lebanese territory across the frontier from Metula. It said no Israeli army personnel had been injured. "Lebanon should be asking themselves if they want to risk their future for Hamas," Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht said.

Persons: Israel, Abdallah Bou Habib, Hakan Fidan, Richard Hecht, they'll, Hecht, Henriette Chacar, Edmund Blair, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Lebanese, Hezbollah, Islamic, Canada, East Airlines, Turkish, Hamas, Thomson Locations: JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, Palestinian, Metula, Turkey, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ China says Israel's actions in Gaza are 'beyond self defense' as U.S. races to avert wider conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Children crying because of Israeli raids on October 15, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Many Gazan citizens have fled to the south following warnings from the Israeli government to do so. Israel has sealed off Gaza and launched sustained retaliatory air strikes, which have killed at least 1,400 people with more than 300,000 displaced, after a large-scale attack by Hamas. Israel's actions have gone beyond self-defense and it should heed the call of the international community. "As I said in Tel Aviv, as President Biden has said, the way that Israel does this matters.

Persons: Ahmad Hasaballah, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Wang, Hakan Fidan, Wang's, Blinken, Ebrahim Raisi, Emmanuel Macron, Biden Organizations: Getty, Getty Images, U.S, United, Turkish Locations: Khan Yunis, Gaza, Israel, Getty Images China, East, Kippur, Jewish, Wang Yi Chinese, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Cairo, Tel Aviv

No decision on a ground offensive has been announced, although Israel has been massing troops along the Gaza border 3. Israeli military spokesman Read Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday Israel had so far identified 126 captives. GERMANY TO START EVACUATING CITIZENS FROM ISRAELBERLIN — The German army will start evacuating its citizens from Israel with military airplanes. Hezbollah said its fighters struck several Israeli military positions in the disputed Chebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba hills in the afternoon. ISRAELI MILITARY ANNOUNCES IT IS PREPARED FOR ‘COORDINATED’ OFFENSIVEJERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it has prepared a “coordinated” offensive in the Gaza Strip involving air, ground and naval forces.

Persons: Israel, Lloyd Austin, “, Israel —, ”, Yifat Zailer, Zailer, Read, Daniel Hagari, Hezbollah’s, Ali Youssef Alaaeddine, Alaaeddine, ERDOGAN'S, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bilal Erdogan, Suleyman Soylu, Mustafa Sentop, ” Erdogan, Sentop, Khalil Hachem, Rabad Akoum, ” Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, ” Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Mohammad Abu Selim, Medhat Abbas, Hakan Fidan, Sameh Shoukry, IT'S, ROME —, “ We’ve, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, —, ” Tajani, TT, Tobias Billström, Elina Valtonen, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Saleh Arouri, Ziad Nakhaleh, Amirabdollahian Organizations: United Nations, Gaza, United States Defense, TEL, ISRAEL BERLIN —, Hamas, Lufthansa, BEIRUT —, Associated Press, AP, Ministry, Sunday, South, MEDIA, BEIRUT, National News Agency, OFFICIAL, EGYPT BEIRUT —, OF, Gaza —, Shifa, Health Ministry, FROM, Romania — Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel, NORDIC, FROM ISRAEL HELSINKI, Nordic, Helsinki Airport, Iran’s, Manar, Islamic, Hezbollah Locations: Gaza City, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Israeli, Lebanon, ISRAEL, SYRIA, TEL AVIV, Syria, Golan, GERMANY, Germany, Jordan, BEIRUT, Palestinian, ISTANBUL ISTANBUL, Istanbul, United States, Tel Aviv, Dubai, South, Lebanese, Chebaa, Kfar Chouba, JERUSALEM, EGYPT BEIRUT, GAZA, Shifa, FROM ISRAEL, TURKEY, ISTANBUL, Turkish, Embassy, Turkey, BUCHAREST, Romania, Romanian Embassy, ITALY, ROME, Italian, Rome, FINNS, Finland, Sweden, Helsinki, Stockholm, Swedish, Stockholm’s Arlanda, Beirut, Hezbollah’s, Amirabdollahian, Iran, Iraq, Jihad

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