Blinken, Fidan discuss Gaza ahead of cease-fire talks in Egypt

ANKARA — Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the Hamas-Israel war and other regional developments in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday as hopes for a Gaza cease-fire dim.

Fidan and Blinken addressed the latest situation in the cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel as well as other regional developments, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said in a statement without offering further details. The phone call took place at the behest of Washington, Keceli added. 

"During the call held at the request of theirs, the latest status of the cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel and developments in the region were discussed," Keceli said.

The US side had not released a readout as of this writing.

The conversation comes after Blinken wrapped up his ninth trip to the region since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7 without a breakthrough on Tuesday. America's top diplomat visited Israel, Egypt and Qatar to push an Israel-Hamas deal that would bring a cease-fire to the 10-month war and free nearly 100 hostages still held in Gaza.

Both Qatar and Egypt function as mediators in cease-fire negotiations between the Jewish state and the militant group. Israel's refusal to withdraw its military forces from Gaza stands out as the main sticking point between the warring parties.

Blinken’s last-ditch effort to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza was also aimed at thwarting a potential reprisal by Iran for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31.

Tehran vowed to retaliate after Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, fueling fears of a broader conflict. Haniyeh has been replaced by Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be one of the masterminds of Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel which saw killing of at least 1,400 Israelis and kidnapping of more than 200 Israelis and third country nationals from Israel to Gaza. The Israeli offensive into the Palestinian enclave more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children were killed.

After Blinken’s talks, the negotiators are set to meet in Cairo on Friday for further discussions on the deal proposal, which, if agreed will on, will see the release of hostages and cease of hostilities. But Israeli and American sources are currently expressing skepticism on the possibility of a breakthrough. 

An Israeli source close to the negotiations said Wednesday demands by Netanyahu to preserve control of the Philadelphi Corridor that separates Egypt and Gaza and for a mechanism that would prevent the return of Hamas militants from the south of the Strip to the north were hardly acceptable.

Speaking with Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, the unnamed source claimed that Netanyahu is purposely sabotaging the talks by introducing new conditions again and again. 

The technical team stayed until Tuesday in Qatar in “a desperate effort to salvage the potential deal,” the source added.

Netanyahu's office hit back in response, saying that "fake news, which echoes the false propaganda of Hamas, which contrary to Prime Minister Netanyahu, rejected the American offer and didn’t even arrive [in Doha] for the negotiations."

Citing two unnamed American and two unnamed Israeli officials, Politico published on Tuesday that the deal is on the brink of collapsing, “and there is no clear immediate alternative agreement that could be put forward in its place.”

Similar criticism was directed at Netanyahu Tuesday afternoon by sources close to the negotiations, after publication that claimed the Israeli premier pledged to bereaved families not to withdraw Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor or the Nezarim Corridor, which separates the south and the north of the Strip.

Netanyahu met Tuesday with parents of hostages who belong to the Tikva Forum and parents of soldiers who fell in Gaza who belong to the Gvura Forum. Both forums are against Israel reaching a deal with Hamas. According to a statement published by the two forums after the meeting, Netanyahu promised to continue battling Hamas. “Israel will not leave neither the Philadelphi Corridor nor the Nezarim Corridor under any circumstances, despite enormous pressure to do so,” the forums cited Netanyahu as saying.

Tehran vowed to retaliate after Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, fueling fears of a broader conflict. Haniyeh has been replaced by Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be one of the masterminds of Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which saw the killing of at least 1,400 people and kidnapping of more than 200 others. The Israeli offensive into the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians so far, mostly women and children.

Fidan slammed Washington earlier this month over what he described as giving the Israeli side a free pass for its actions after Haniyeh’s assassination but added that Ankara was doing everything it could to prevent the war from expanding.

Turkey, in contrast to the United States and the European Union, doesn’t consider Hamas a terrorist outfit and maintains close dialogue with both the militant group as well as its backer, Iran, as part of cease-fire efforts, although it's not a direct party to the negotiations.