Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, right, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meet in Istanbul, Turkey, in January 2024 [File: Evelyn Hockstein/pool/AFP]

Istanbul, August 14 (RHC)-- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his U.S. counterpart on Monday and underlined the need for Blinken to keep up the pressure on Israel to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, according to a spokesman.

Fidan said that Israel must avoid “provocative actions” that could escalate tensions and said that Hamas had shown a “constructive attitude” in past truce talks.  He added that the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and the “ongoing massacre against Palestinians once again demonstrated Israel’s lack of willingness to establish peace”, the spokesman said.

Blinken’s office said the Secretary of State spoke to Fidan “about the importance of Hamas’ return to negotiations on August 15 to finalize the framework for achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages.”