Turkey is ready to become a peace guarantor for Palestine via political, military and humanitarian presence in the region, Turkish newspaper Sabah reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Ankara is also planning to initiate an international peace conference on the Gaza conflict that would involve all major regional players, but Western countries are against the participation of Palestinian movement Hamas in the process, the report said.
A heavy explosion caused by an Israeli airstrike has struck the northeast of the Gaza Strip's city of Khan Yunis, where thousands of displaced people from the north of the enclave have taken refuge, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.
The blast was so powerful that fragments of buildings fell on the streets surrounding Nasser Hospital, which is located miles from the explosion site, the correspondent added.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 27,000 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
Sputnik