Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in a call on Thursday that Israel was trying to spread the Gaza war to the wider region and did not want a ceasefire, his office said, adding that Biden thanked Erdogan for efforts regarding an East-West prisoner swap in Ankara.
In a statement, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan told Biden that the Israeli government had shown its unwillingness to reach a ceasefire in Gaza "at every step" and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the U.S. Congress had prompted "deep disappointment" in Turkey and the world.
Erdogan also said the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas' political bureau, had dealt a "heavy blow" to cease-fire efforts, his office said.
It said Erdogan also vowed to continue working to improve ties between the NATO allies