Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is negotiating with Hamas for the release of some 150 hostages kidnapped by Gazan terrorists, Turkish media reports.
The Turkish news site Haberturk reports that Erdogan ordered that talks be held for the hostages.
It also says he has been intensively involved in efforts to keep the conflict from snowballing.
Despite a recent rapprochement with Israel, Erdogan remains broadly supportive of Hamas and has avoided criticizing the group over its massacre of 1,200 Israelis, including hundreds of civilians.
Earlier in the day, he lashed out at the West for “blindly” taking Israel’s side and called for restraint from both sides.
“A conflict carried out with all kinds of shameful methods is not a war but a massacre,” he said, referring to Israel’s bombing of Gaza
