(Reuters) -Turkey is working with the United States and Arab mediators to secure safe passage for Hamas fighters who are holed up in tunnels in the Israel-controlled area of Gaza, a Palestinian source, a Hamas official and Turkish officials said on Monday.
The fate of about 200 fighters has complicated efforts to shift Gaza ceasefire talks, being conducted between Israel and the Palestinians militant group, to the next phase that aims to secure a permanent end to the two-year-old war.
A Palestinian source close to the mediation effort said Turkey was involved in mediation over the fate of the fighters, working alongside Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Two Turkish officials, including the spokesperson for President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, confirmed Turkey was mediating in talks over the fate of 200 Palestinians, without giving details.
Last week, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said resolving the standoff would be a test case for future steps in the wider ceasefire plan. He said it could be resolved by providing them with safe passage to Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.
A Hamas official, who asked not to be identified, said Turkey was a mediator but did not give details about the negotiations, saying they covered a sensitive security issue.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on Turkey’s role.
Last week, two sources said the Hamas fighters trapped in the Israeli-held Rafah area of Gaza were ready to surrender their arms in exchange for passage to other areas of Gaza.
Hamas has not confirmed the number of trapped fighters but has previously demanded that they be allowed to go to areas controlled by the group. Israel has so far resisted this.
Turkey, a fierce critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and with close ties to Palestinian group, was a signatory to the U.S.-backed Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
(Reporting by Reuters journalists; Editing by Edmund Blair)
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