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Hamas says it appreciates Turkey's efforts to help ease Gaza blockade

Xinhua, June 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Islamic Hamas movement said late on Monday night that it highly appreciates the Turkish efforts to ease an Israeli blockade that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for ten years.

The movement said in an emailed official statement in comment to an agreement reached between Turkey and Israel that Hamas appreciates the Turkish efforts "to help our people in Gaza and to relax the Israeli siege."

"Hamas thanks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey for supporting the Gaza Strip which expresses the clear supportive Turkish position towards the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people," said the statement.

However, Hamas said that it is still sticking to its stable positions towards the Israeli occupation, mainly ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and give the Palestinian people their legitimate rights.

"Hamas hopes that Turkey would keep playing its role to back the Palestinian cause and completely end the Israeli siege and keep also pressuring the Zionist occupation to stop its assaults on our people and their holy sites, mainly al-Aqsa Mosque," said Hamas statement.

On Monday, Israeli and Turkish leaders said they had reached an agreement that ends around six years of severing political and economical ties between the two countries after a deadly Israeli commandos attack on Turkish ships carrying aid to Gaza in 2010 killed eight Turkish activists.

The deal would enable Turkey to increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza, ship Turkish goods and products to the enclave via Israeli seaports, open large investments in the Palestinian territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip, built up a power station, a hospital and water desalination station.

Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza right after Gaza militants kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, who was later released in 2010 in an Egyptian-brokered prisoners swap deal. In 2007, Israel tightened the blockade following Hamas' violent takeover of the enclave.

Israel eased the blockade after the Israeli army commandos attacked several Turkish ships carrying humanitarian aid and killed eight Turkish activists in 2010. Ties between the two countries were severed following the incident. Enditem