World

Kerry reaches out to Hamas allies to press truce

AFP

US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his counterparts in Qatar and Turkey, which support the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as he pressed for a Gaza ceasefire. Kerry — who is in Egypt, which has drafted a truce proposal for the Israel-Hamas conflict — spoke by phone with the Foreign Ministers of Qatar and Turkey, a US official said. The top US diplomat was hoping Qatar and Turkey would use their influence to encourage Hamas to accept ceasefire.