Ankara is in talks with Hamas on the release of hostages – media

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun negotiations with militants of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for the release of Israeli captives. Reuters reported this on Thursday, October 12, citing a high-ranking Turkish official.

“On the instructions of President Tayyip Erdogan, relevant institutions are conducting proceedings against civilians held by Hamas,” he said.

He added that it was not yet known how many hostages Hamas was holding.

“According to various estimates, at least 150 people were abducted from Israel. There is also no information on how many of them are civilians and how many are military,” the agency clarified.

This week, Erdogan, as indicated by Reuters, spoke by phone with regional leaders to convey Ankara’s offer to act as a mediator.

There has been no official statement from Ankara about contacts with the group since the start of the conflict.

“Turkey, a former supporter of the Palestinians, favors a two-state solution to the conflict and hosts members of Hamas. At the same time, it is working to restore its ties with Israel after years of -tension, mainly focused on energy cooperation. ” , – said the message.

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a telephone conversation with the leaders of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Qatar and Egypt, discussed the events of the armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Austria’s Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed hope for the continuation of “Istanbul” or a similar peace format to end the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.