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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with members of the Hamas political bureau in Istanbul, Turkish diplomatic sources said Saturday.
The discussions focused on the status of the ceasefire in Gaza and ongoing humanitarian needs in the Palestinian territory, the sources said.
Since the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement began on Oct. 10, Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 19 out of 28 listed captives, most of them Israelis. Israel has said one of the bodies received did not match any of its listed captives.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has killed 211 Palestinians and injured 597 others since the ceasefire began.
Israel has tied the second phase of the ceasefire to the return of all hostage remains. Hamas says the process requires time due to widespread destruction in Gaza.
The first phase of the agreement includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, along with plans for rebuilding Gaza and establishing a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,600 others in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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