GAZA CITY, Palestine
Hamas deputy chief Ismail Haniyeh held a phone conversation on Monday with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to discuss recent developments in the Palestinian arena.
Talks tackled inter-Palestinian reconciliation, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the crisis of Hamas-appointed civil servants, Hamas said in a Monday statement.
According to the statement, the two sides also discussed Turkish aid to Gaza, the Gaza Strip's border crossings and the proposed establishment of a water corridor for the blockaded enclave.
During the conversation, Davutoglu pledged to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah in hopes of "making a breakthrough" in various files.
Hamas accuses Hamdallah's unity government of failing to shoulder its responsibilities vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip since it was drawn up last summer.
One of the sticking points is the payment of Hamas-appointed civil servants, whose salaries the unity government refuses to pay.
The Gaza Strip continues to reel under an eight-year Israeli blockade, which has badly affected the livelihoods of most Gazans.
Israel waged a 51-day military onslaught on the blockaded strip last summer, which killed more than 2,160 Palestinians and injured nearly 11,000.
