ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said his country&nbsp;would participate in a &quot;task force&quot; to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas. &quot;We will hopefully join the task force that will monitor the implementation of the agreement on the ground,&quot; Erdogan said. Turkey, which has been closely involved in the negotiations, sent a team to the talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. The agreement, which will be signed in Egypt on Thursday, involves freeing the remaining hostages and is seen as a major step towards ending the two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe. &quot;It is of great importance to urgently deliver comprehensive humanitarian aid to Gaza, exchange hostages and prisoners, and for Israel to immediately cease its attacks,&quot; Erdogan said. He also promised Turkey would help reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

Palestinians celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP)

Middle East

Europe

The agreement, which will be signed in Egypt on Thursday, involves freeing the remaining hostages and is seen as a major step towards ending the two-year war.

Erdogan says Turkey to join 'task force' to monitor Gaza deal

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Israel needs to stop bombing Gaza for the hostage release by militant group Hamas to take place, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday. &quot;I&nbsp;think&nbsp;the&nbsp;Israelis&nbsp;and&nbsp;everyone&nbsp;acknowledge&nbsp;you&nbsp;can&#39;t release&nbsp;hostages&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;middle&nbsp;of&nbsp;strikes,&nbsp;so&nbsp;the&nbsp;strikes&nbsp;will&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;stop,&quot; Rubio told CBS News talkshow &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; &quot;There can&#39;t be a war going on in the middle of it,&quot; the top US diplomat said.

Americas

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel must halt airstrikes in Gaza for Hamas to proceed with hostage releases, emphasizing that negotiations cannot continue amid active military operations.

Articles tagged with "Israeli Hostages"

Erdogan says Turkey to join 'task force' to monitor Gaza deal

Israeli bombing must stop for Gaza hostage release: Rubio