Ankara: Fifteen Palestinian prisoners released by Israel under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas arrived in Turkey on Tuesday after being deported to Egypt, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
“As part of the ceasefire deal in Gaza, there was an agreement that a certain number of Palestinians would not remain in Palestinian territories. These individuals were to be hosted in designated countries. Upon request, and with the approval of our president, we responded positively,” Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Egyptian counterpart Bedr Abdulati.
Fidan said that the 15 Palestinians were granted visas through the Turkish embassy in Cairo after their release from prison and subsequently traveled to Turkey.
Fidan also emphasised Turkey’s opposition to any efforts aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their homeland, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Any initiative to expel Palestinians from their native lands is contrary to international law and humanity’s conscience. Such actions will yield no results other than fueling new conflicts and destabilizing regional peace. We must stand against all attempts to displace Palestinians from their homeland,” he said.
A Palestinian official announced on Monday that 60 Palestinian prisoners, released by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal and currently in Egypt, will be deported to Turkey, Qatar, Malaysia, and Pakistan.
Abdullah Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, said each of the four countries would host 15 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa announced on Tuesday the creation of a working committee to manage affairs in the Gaza Strip, following directives from President Mahmoud Abbas, state news agency WAFA reported.
The move aims to affirm the “unity of the Palestinian state’s territories” and bolster national cohesion, Mustafa said during a weekly cabinet session in Ramallah. The committee will coordinate humanitarian aid delivery, clear debris, open roads, and establish temporary shelters for displaced residents ahead of broader reconstruction efforts, he added.
Mustafa emphasised the government’s focus on restoring basic services, including water, electricity, healthcare, and education, through an emergency operations room in Gaza’s southern governorates. “Our national responsibility compels us to support our people who have endured 15 months of war’s horrors,” he said.
The announcement comes days after Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office estimated direct losses from the Israeli military offensive at over 50 billion US dollars across infrastructure and economic sectors, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mustafa said reconstruction plans would be coordinated with Egypt, which borders Gaza and has mediated between Hamas and Israel alongside Qatar and the United States.
(IANS)
