TURKEY HAS SAID it could take in some Palestinians who have been freed from captivity in Israel under the terms of the ceasefire deal in the Gaza war, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Qatar today.

“Our president has declared that we are ready to take in some freed Palestinians… in order to support the agreement. Turkey, along with other countries, will do its part in this regard so the ceasefire agreement can remain in force,” he said at a press conference in Doha.

Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza have been exchanging captives over the course of the last two weeks following the ceasefire agreement that was finally reached in mid-January. 

The comments from the Turkish foreign minister will likely cause some anxiety among Palestinians, many of whom have been refugees in neighbouring countries for decades.

Israeli officials have at times suggested refugees from Gaza should be taken in by Egypt but that has been consistently resisted by the Egyptian government. 

Palestinians fear that if they leave their homes they may never be allowed to return, especially since Israeli government figures have vocally supported the idea of establishing illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip. 

US President Donald Trump has also suggested Gaza needs to be “cleaned out”. 

Second round negotiations

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin talks on a second phase to the Gaza ceasefire in Washington on Monday, his office said hours after the completion of the fourth hostage-prisoner exchange of the truce.

Netanyahu spoke with the US President’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday and agreed that negotiations would “begin when they meet in Washington”.

A date for formal talks involving mediators and delegations from Hamas and Israel has not been set, with the 42-day first phase due to end next month.

Netanyahu’s office said Witkoff would talk to Qatar and Egypt, key mediators, before discussing with the Israeli premier “steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for delegations to leave for talks”.

The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war, something several members of Netanyahu’s government oppose.

With reporting from AFP

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