WSJ: Dozens of countries appealed to Turkey over hostages held by Hamas
As the war that broke out between Palestine and Israel continues for nine days, the world discusses the fate of the hostages that Hamas kidnapped in Gaza during the bloody attack on Israel on October 7.
More than 150 people, including many foreigners, were taken hostage by Palestinian armed groups. Hamas announced that it will not release its hostages until the attacks on Gaza stop.
The Wall Street Journal, one of the main US media outlets, wrote that many countries, wanting to save their citizens from the hands of Hamas, turned to diplomats and intelligence officials in Turkey. The news said that many countries made great efforts to free their citizens behind closed doors and emphasized that the hostage crisis had reached an unprecedented international dimension.
There are also children among those kidnapped in Israel.
The sources, who noted that Hamas is holding hostages from approximately 30 countries, said the United States and its allies also met with Turkey, Egypt and Qatar, which are in contact with Hamas.
‘HAMAS COMMANDERS DO NOT ANSWER THE PHONES’
While Israel claimed that it did not negotiate with Hamas regarding the hostages, an Egyptian official speaking to the Wall Street Journal said: “All the countries that have contact with Hamas have tried, but they do not answer their phones and it is impossible to contact them.” . them.”
President Erdoğan met at the Presidential Complex with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniye, who made an official visit to Turkey in July.
The news noted that Turkey could not receive a sufficient response from Hamas regarding the hostage situation, and that it was not even fully understood how many hostages were in Gaza. According to the news, Hamas stated in the message it sent to Turkey that “Israel will not release the hostages until it releases thousands of Palestinian prisoners in its possession.”
TURKISH OFFICIAL: MANY COUNTRIES ARE IN CONTACT WITH US
A Turkish intelligence official who spoke to the newspaper said: “Many countries, especially Western countries, are in contact with Ankara. “They want us to convey their messages secretly,” he said, noting that Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza make communication difficult.
Stating that Turkey asked Hamas to release the elderly and children in its custody, the official said: “Currently, the physical situation in Gaza does not provide adequate conditions for issues such as negotiations.”
Israel had previously reported that a Turkish citizen was killed and another person was missing in the Hamas attack.
In its statement last week, Hamas claimed that 22 hostages were killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The organization that maintains control in Gaza claims that the hostages are kept in safe places and tunnels.