Turkey's Erdogan in talks with Hamas over release of Israeli hostages

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country will be carrying out negotiations to secure the release of some Israeli hostages who were captured by Hamas.

Ankara has launched a mediation plan for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which began after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Sunday, according to the Anadolu news agency.

Erdogan has also engaged in talks with Arab leaders over the conflict.

He spoke with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday. 

Discussing the negotiation process, Erdogan said Ankara was "ready to do everything in its power", including mediation and "fair arbitration" to end the conflict swiftly. 

Erdogan has also spoken to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.  

Turkish privately-owned TV channel Haberturk first released the report on Turkey’s strategy to secure the release of Israeli hostages. 

An official source later confirmed the reports to AFP, saying that "they are negotiating to secure the release of the hostages". 

The news comes after Turkey's preparations to send urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians who have been affected by the Gaza-Israel conflict.  

A Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday that "the situation in the region is very complicated” and that “under current circumstances, it is very difficult to deliver aid there".