Massacre in Gaza should end as soon as possible: Türkiye's Fidan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the massacre in Gaza should end as soon as possible.

During the meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday, Fidan said pressure should be exerted on Israel for an end to the massacre, a permanent ceasefire, and delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Fidan and Blinken discussed the latest situation in Gaza, according to diplomatic sources.

The current situation in Ukraine and the state of bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington were also discussed by the top diplomats.

Gaza Contact Group meeting

Fidan and Blinken met on the margins of the meeting of the Gaza Contact Group, being held on the sidelines of the two-day World Economic Forum, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X.

The Gaza Contact Group was established at a joint summit of the OIC and the Arab League in Saudi Arabia in November to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7 last year.

Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,600 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.