Turkey's Intelligence Chief Discusses Ceasefire In Gaza With Hamas Group

JAKARTA - Head of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) Ibrahim Kal calmn held a meeting with senior leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on weekends.

The meeting focused on the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip and efforts to defend the ceasefire, as the death toll from Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave has surpassed 56,000 since 2023.

Among those attending the meeting were the Chairman of the Hamas Leadership Council Mohammad Ismail Darwish. Meanwhile, the location of the meeting was kept secret.

Security sources said talks focused on Turkey's efforts to end the conflict and "ensure immediate aid deliveries" to Gaza, reported by the Daily Sabah July 1.

They also talked about "the need to reach consensus among Palestinian groups during this critical period (and) steps that must be taken to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza," the source said.

The meeting came after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying on Friday last week it could happen "in the next week."

The mediators have been involved in negotiations for months aimed at ending Israel's 20-month war of genocide in Gaza, in which Israel also stopped all food coming in more than two months ago, which led to warnings of hunger.

Since then, Israel has allowed the resumption of some food shipments through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation involving US security contractors, with Israeli forces on the outskirts.

Witnesses and Gaza officials have reported several incidents in which dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while trying to get help.

Separately, the death toll from Palestine since the latest conflict broke out in Gaza on October 7, 2023 has reached 56,531, while injuries have reached 133,642, according to a medical source in Gaza, citing WAFA.

Meanwhile, since Israel continued its aggression on March 18 after the ceasefire in January, the number of Palestinians killed reached 6,203 while injuries reached 21,601.