ANKARA: President of Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas is secluded to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara after visiting Moscow.
The visit comes at a time when the 10-month Israel war on Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 39,965 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 92,294.
Efforts for a ceasefire are underway as the situation has worsened after the killings of senior Hamas officials by Israel in Iran and Lebanon.
According to the Turkish leader’s itinerary Abbas will meet with Erdogan at 1530 GMT at the presidential palace.
Erdogan has been a critic of Israel’s conduct in the war, dubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza.” He also denounced the Western world for its failure to pressure Israel to stop the war.
Erdogan has also described Hamas as “a liberation movement.” In July, Erdogan chastised Abbas for not responding to his invitation to visit Turkiye positively. Abbas scheduled a trip to Turkiye after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.
He will also address the Turkish parliament in a special session dedicated to the Palestinian issue on Thursday. Abbas is the head of the Fatah Palestinian movement, a rival to Hamas. He had already visited Turkiye at Erdogan’s invitation in early March.
