Fifteen Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the Jan. 19 ceasefire agreement with Hamas arrived in Turkey on Tuesday after being deported first to Egypt, the Turkish foreign minister and the Hamas prisoners media office said.
Among dozens of such former prisoners, they are the first to be taken in by a third country other than Egypt under the terms of the ceasefire, which bar prisoners convicted by Israel of violent attacks from returning to the Palestinian Territories.
Palestinians view those jailed for fighting Israel as resistance heroes.
Phase 1 Of Ceasefire
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the 15 former prisoners had arrived via Egypt after Ankara responded positively to a request under the ceasefire deal provisions.
“We think it would be beneficial for some regional countries to take a role in this matter… Egypt and Qatar would play a role in that respect,” Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.
The first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza has led to Hamas’ release of 18 hostages and Israel’s release of 583 jailed Palestinians, of whom at least 79 were sent to Egypt.
As well as Turkey, some may be sent on to Algeria or Qatar, Hamas sources say.
Situation In Gaza
Fidan rejected criticism by what he called “Zionist circles” of Turkey’s decision to take in the former Palestinian prisoners. He said Ankara was acting to help end “the humanitarian drama in Gaza”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to discuss the situation in Gaza and other regional issues with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The Gaza war started with a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israel that killed 1,200 people, and saw more than 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins, Gaza authorities say.
(with inputs from Reuters)
