ISLAMABAD
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu referred to Gaza ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and said that there is a truce document on which the sides have reached a significant consensus.
Davutoglu shared his experiences from his trip to Gaza with Turkish journalists who follow him at the D-8 summit in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan.
Referring to the Gaza truce between Hamas and Israel, Davutoglu said, "it makes us hopeful. However, although there is a platform of truce, they still continue with air attacks. Israeli attacks show that they do not try to reach a solution via negotiations, they try to do it via some tactical steps, which is not acceptable."
Davutoglu stressed that his trip to Gaza along with 10 other foreign ministers and Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil al-Araby had three main points.
He said that firstly and most importantly they aimed at showing solidarity to Palestinians in the face of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and make them feel that they are not alone.
Davutoglu stressed that negotiations continue in the scope of a ceasefire and said, "When we were in Gaza, the information about a truce document between the sides arrived. Hamas declared it however because Israeli side did not confirm it, no results came out. Once again, we understood that Israel lacks good will."
Turkish fm drew attention to Turkey's effective role on the ceasefire negotiations and thanked Egypt and Qatar for their efforts as well.
Upon a reminder of a journalist about minister breaking into tears when visiting a hospital in Gaza, Davutoglu said, "While we were visiting the hospital, suddenly bodies of three dead people were brought in and afterwards families of the victims were let in to the room. There was a father having a nervous breakdown when he saw his teenage daughter lying dead. He was burst into tears and I wanted to console him. He turned and hugged us. I felt his pain so deeply. You just think about your own child in that moment. It is easy to talk when you are away from the scene but when you are there, when hugged that father, I felt it all. In that moment, you just forget that you are a minister and solely become humanly."
Another question directed to Davutoglu was, "Is there any hopeful developments in the ceasefire issue?" and Davutoglu said, "Before we left Gaza, Israel did not confirm the truce document completely however they did not say 'no' either."
