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Middle East conflict

Gaza contact group to visit Russia, UK, France, US in coming days

The Gaza contact group is expected to visit London and Paris on Wednesday, where they will be received by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron

ANKARA, November 21. /TASS/. The contact group on the situation in the Gaza Strip, which includes the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), will visit Russia, the UK, France and the US in the coming days, the Turkish state news agency Anadolu Ajansi reported.

It is noted that the delegation held talks in China the day before and will visit Moscow on Tuesday. At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan could not attend the meeting in China and will not attend the talks in Russia either, as he will accompany Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a visit to Algeria.

The Gaza contact group is expected to visit London and Paris on Wednesday, where they will be received by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron; Fidan will have already taken part in these contacts. The delegation will later travel to the United States, but no date has been set for the trip.

The contact group is said to have been established following a decision taken "under the leadership of Turkey at the joint summit of the OIC and LAS" in Riyadh. The delegation plans to meet with representatives of UN Security Council countries "with influence on Israel" to ensure an immediate ceasefire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.

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