ANKARA, November 6. /TASS/. Turkey and the United States agreed on the need for delivering humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and settling the conflict between Israel and Palestine by means of establishing two states, a source in the Turkish foreign ministry told TASS on Monday.

"Turkey and the US agree that it is necessary to mitigate damage to the civilian population in Gaza, deliver humanitarian assistance and settle the conflict by means of establishing two states," the source said after talks between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "During today’s meeting, the sides stressed the need for joint efforts toward this solution."

Talks between Blinken and Fidan were held in Ankara on November 6 and lasted for about two and a half hours. The Turkish mass media noted that a day before the top US diplomat met a cold reception, since no one from the country’s leadership welcomed him at the airport. According to the Turkish mass media, it was a kind of protest against Washington’s support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

The Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday that it was recalling the country’s ambassador from Israel for consultations.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory, killing many Israelis living in the settlements near the border and abducting more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.