Istanbul, 9 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken with both Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the attack on Israel launched by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Erdoğan told Abbas that Turkey is making every effort to restore peace in the region, according to Erdoğan's presidential office on Monday evening.

During the phone call with Herzog, Erdoğan's office said he cautioned that any step that could harm the people of Gaza would cause violence in the region to spiral further.

Relations between Israel and Turkey are difficult, but there had been a rapprochement recently. Among the critical issues is the Turkish government's support for Hamas.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist group by Israel, the European Union and the United States.

The head of the Islamist Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR), which is part of the governing alliance led by Erdoğan's conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), had backed Hamas as recently as Saturday, calling the bloody attack legitimate.

In July, Erdoğan hosted both Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Abbas, who leads the rival Palestinian political party Fatah, in Ankara for talks on reconciliation between their groups.

Photo: MIA Archive