The Israel-Hamas conflict spreading, Turkey and Iran on Wednesday requested a regional summit.
Iran Turkey call for meeting: The day before, in Qatar, Iran’s senior diplomat met with Hamas leaders, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with colleague Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
In light of Israel’s war on Hamas, Iran has issued a warning that armed organisations it supports in the region may strike Israel.
According to Fidan, Turkey is advocating for an immediate ceasefire because, in the absence of a long-term end to the conflict, “it is not difficult to predict that this spiral of violence will grow.”
Fidan stated, “We do not want the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza to escalate into a conflict that impacts the nations in the region.”
If the situation does not change, the Iranian foreign minister “shared with us that there are strong indications that other armed elements in the region may intervene in the conflict,” Fidan added.
“Peace and a cease-fire are more important than ever.”
Amir-Abdollahian recommended holding a peace conference “as soon as possible” with “Muslim and Arab” nations.
In light of the conflict, he also urged Muslims to boycott Israeli goods.
Since Hamas gunmen broke through the border on October 7 and killed over 1,400 people—the majority of whom were civilians—Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials.
The health ministry operated by Hamas reports that over 8,796 Palestinians have died as a result of the bombing campaign, with women and children making up the majority.