The President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, said on Friday that the chance for peace in Gaza after the humanitarian pause was lost due to the approach followed by Israel.
"We have always emphasized that we are in favor of a permanent ceasefire and not a humanitarian break...There was an opportunity for peace here, and unfortunately, we have lost that opportunity for now because of Israel's uncompromising approach ,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by NTV and other Turkish media.
The ceasefire that began on November 24 was extended twice, but after seven days during which women, children and hostages of foreign nationalities were released as well as a number of Palestinian prisoners, mediators failed to find a formula to release more.
Since then, Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments have pounded southern Gaza, prolonging the nearly two-month war that has claimed thousands of lives.
Speaking to reporters on his way back from the United Arab Emirates, Erdogan also said he is not giving up hope for a lasting peace in the conflict, adding that Hamas cannot be excluded from its possible solution.
"We should focus on the two-state solution... Excluding Hamas or destroying Hamas is not a realistic scenario," Erdogan said during the interview, adding that he would not designate the militant group as a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, Reuters news agency, citing sources, reports that Israel has informed several Arab states that it wants to create a neutral zone on the Palestinian side of the Gaza border to prevent future attacks as part of proposals for the enclave after the end of the war. .
Erdogan also said that a contact group formed by the OIC and the Arab League will visit the United States to discuss a possible solution to the Gaza conflict after meeting with authorities in London, Paris, Barcelona and the United Nations. (A2 Televizion)
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