Turkey spy chief discusses Gaza aid with Hamas leaders

Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Hamas leaders on Saturday for talks about how to deliver aid to war-ravaged Gaza where Israel resumed its military offensive last month.

Kalin held talks with Mohammad Darwish, head of the political council of Hamas which rules Gaza and his delegation, Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency reported, without saying where the meeting took place. Media reports said it was in Turkey.

As well as discussing ways to deliver humanitarian aid, they also spoke of initiatives to secure a permanent ceasefire along with ways to counter Israeli plans to forcibly displace Gaza’s population, Anadolu said, citing security sources.

Kalin reassured them of Turkey’s ongoing support and said Ankara would firmly oppose any new efforts to occupy or annex further Palestinian territory.

After 18 months of devastating war and an Israeli aid blockade since March 2, the United Nations has said Gaza is facing its most severe humanitarian crisis since the war began in October 2023, triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Hamas on Thursday accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon” by blocking aid supplies.

But Israel has vowed to keep blocking humanitarian aid, saying it is the only way to force Hamas to release the 58 hostages still held there.

After a two-month ceasefire earlier this year, Israel renewed its Gaza assault on March 18, and since then has killed at least 1,691 people, the health ministry says, bringing the overall toll to 51,065, mostly civilians.

The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.