Turkey's president has denounced Western states' "weakness" in the face of civilian deaths in Gaza and called on Muslim nations to unify against Israel. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, made the comments on Thursday at a meeting of the 10-member Economic Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan. Erdogan said governments and organisations in the West are observing these "massacres by Israel" from afar but are "too weak to even call for a ceasefire, let alone criticise child murderers." "If we, the Economic Cooperation Organization, as Muslims, are not going to raise our voices today...when will we raise our voices," he added. Erdogan also said Turkey would continue with its diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and prevent the conflict from spreading. The Economic Cooperation Organisation is a collection of five Central Asian nations as well as Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Talks are taking place to strike a three-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for the release of about a dozen hostages held by Hamas. That's according to two officials from Egypt, one from the United Nations and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The deal could allow more aid, including fuel, to enter the besieged territory, as conditions facing the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped there grow increasingly dire. It is being brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, according to the officials. If an agreement is reached, the same formula could be revisited for more pauses and releases, one official added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said any ceasefire is contingent on Hamas releasing some of the hostages it took during the 7 October attack on southern Israel. Israel says around 240 people were taken captive by the Palestinian militant group. A three day ceasefire would allow much-needed humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, with fuel potentially allowed in for the first time since the war. It would be distributed to hospitals and bakeries under UN supervision. Israel has barred fuel shipments to Gaza since fighting broke out, arguing Hamas would divert them for military use. Over the past month, only a trickle of aid, such as medicine, food and water, has entered Gaza. Aid workers say it's not nearly enough to meet mounting needs. Under the proposed truce deal, Hamas would release a dozen civilian hostages, most of them foreign passport holders, and provide a complete list of hostages to mediators, according to the officials. The International Committee of the Red Cross would be allowed to visit the hostages. The diplomat said the talks are complex because of the involvement of different parties in the region and in Western capitals. — Euronews
