Hakan Fidan’s first visit to Egypt as a Turkish foreign minister came at a critical time for both countries. Fidan met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo on Saturday and the two top diplomats called on Israel to ensure access to the Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid delivery.
Gaza was left without electricity, food and water amid an Israeli blockade that followed days of bombardment after a Hamas offensive toward Israel. Over 2 million people are trapped in the city, which was already suffering under a similar yearslong blockade.
Ankara “invites Israel to adhere to international law,” Fidan told a joint news conference with Shoukry. For his part, Shoukry stressed the urgent need to provide protection for Palestinian civilians and ensure the entry of aid into Gaza, denouncing Israel’s actions, including a military campaign on the populous coastal enclave, as “grave violations of international humanitarian law.”
Turkey “rejects and condemns” attacks targeting “innocent civilians” and causing their death in Palestine, Fidan said. Israel, he said, “should have peace not only with Arab countries but mainly with Palestinians,” referring to the normalization drive between Israel and several Arab countries that began before the current conflict.