Palestine's Ismail Haniya in Istanbul for talks with President Erdogan

Leader of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas Ismail Haniya has arrived in Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza passed 34,000.

A statement from Hamas on Friday said President Erdogan and Haniya would discuss Israel's war on Gaza, adding that the head of the group's political bureau was accompanied by a delegation.

Middle East tensions are at a high after Israel's reported attack on Iran and Gaza bracing for a new Israeli assault.

President Erdogan insisted on Wednesday that he would continue "to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people".

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Qatar on Wednesday and said he spent three hours with Haniyah and his aides for "a wide exchange of views in particular about negotiations for a ceasefire".

Qatar, a mediator between Israel and Hamas, acknowledged on Wednesday that negotiations to end hostilities in Gaza and free captives were "stalling".

Fidan said he spoke with Haniyah, who lives in Qatar, about how Hamas "must clearly express its expectations, especially about a two-state solution".

Erdogan's last meeting with Haniya was in July 2023 when Erdogan hosted him and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at the presidential palace in Ankara. Haniya had last met Fidan in Türkiye on January 2.

An Israeli air strike in Gaza on April 10 killed three sons of Haniya, with the Hamas leader declaring that the incident would not impede ongoing negotiations related to a ceasefire.

The attack, which occurred during renewed peace efforts, also claimed the lives of four of Haniya's grandchildren.

Following the killings, Haniya stated that such actions against leaders' families would only reinforce Hamas' resolve to firmly uphold their principles and their connection to their besieged territory.