Türkiye hopes Israel-Hamas prisoner swap as soon as possible: President Erdogan

Türkiye hopes to achieve positive results on a captive exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, as soon as possible, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Türkiye is in constant communication to solve the hostage crisis and expects to obtain positive results from the talks, Erdogan said on Tuesday at a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune after their meeting in the capital Algiers.

Erdogan said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, with joint efforts from Qatar, were engaged in talks for the release of the hostages.

On Israel's bombardment of Gaza, Erdogan said attacks on hospitals, places of worship, other facilities in Gaza which should be under protection, and the forced displacement of people amounted to "inhumanity and barbarism."

Türkiye unequivocally rejects Israeli attacks in Gaza, which constitute collective punishment and war crimes, he said, underlining that Ankara's priority were a permanent ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid.

"The establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem based on the 1967 borders is now inevitable. In this regard, we will continue to do our utmost," he stressed.

Stressing that he discussed the humanitarian crisis in Palestine with Tebboune, Erdogan highlighted that Algeria is among countries providing the strongest and most sincere support to the Palestinian cause.

"Without achieving a just political solution to the Palestinian issue, the establishment of lasting peace and stability in our region is not possible," he said. "We have announced that we are ready to act as guarantors, along with regional countries, in the implementation of a fair peace agreed upon by Israel and Palestine."

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.

Authorities in Gaza said Monday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave since October 7 has jumped to over 14,000 Palestinians including 5,920 children and 3,550 women.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

Middle East is like volcano

Tebboune said both leaders discussed developments in the Middle East in all dimensions.

A great tragedy has occurred due to the crimes committed by the "Zionist regime" in Gaza, he said during a joint news conference with Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Algiers.

"We reiterated our condemnation of the systematic policy of repression and genocide and forced displacement carried out by the Zionist entity (Israel)," Tebboune added.

The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem based on the 1967 borders is the legitimate right of the Palestinian people, said Tebboune.

"The Middle East is like a volcano. Either this problem (Palestine issue) will be resolved, or it will progress in a different direction,” he said.

Stressing the need to immediately stop crimes committed by the "occupying state," Tebboune said: "We emphasised the importance of holding the perpetrators of the genocide in Gaza accountable in the International Criminal Court," referring to discussions with Erdogan.

"For the first time in 75 years, those who committed these crimes (by Israel) will face justice," he said.

Tebboune drew attention to attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"We emphasised the necessity for condemnation and denunciation to be accompanied by urgent action, to stop the settlement expansion and deter the terrorism practiced by settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank," he added

Türkiye and Algeria sign 12 agreements in various areas

During a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, Türkiye and Algeria signed 12 agreements in various fields.

After co-chairing the second meeting of the Türkiye-Algeria High-Level Cooperation Council, the leaders joined a signing ceremony for the agreements.

Addressing trade between the two countries, Erdogan said: "Last year, our trade volume reached a record of $5.3 billion, and we expect it to reach $6 billion by the end of this year.

"With the efforts we will increase, we hope to reach the target of $10 billion in trade volume that we set with my brother Tebboune in a short time,” he said.

"We closely follow the efforts of around 1,400 Turkish companies supporting this process. We take pride in our companies being the largest investors and job providers in non-hydrocarbon sectors in Algeria," he expressed.

"We will strive to increase these investments even further. We are pleased with Algeria's investments in our country," he added.

Türkiye desires to diversify and enhance relations in energy and renewable energy through new partnerships with Algeria, Erdogan said.

Tebboune said Erdogan's visit, despite the "special and exceptional" conditions at the regional and international levels, is a significant success for relations.

Considering the sincere will on both sides, Türkiye-Algeria relations are strong and have open horizons for further cooperation, said Tebboune, adding Algeria has become Türkiye's second-largest trading partner in Africa.

Erdogan and Tebboune also signed a joint statement on the second meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between Türkiye and Algeria.