Blinken says he discussed Gaza ceasefire agreement with Turkish top officials

ANKARA - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that he discussed the imperative of Palestinian militant group Hamas' saying 'yes' to the Gaza ceasefire agreement in his talks with Turkey's President and Foreign Minister.

"In my discussions with President Erdogan and with Minister Fidan we talked about the imperative of Hamas saying yes to the (Gaza) agreement that's possible to finally help bring this to an end," Blinken said, following his meeting with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

"We appreciate very much the role that Turkiye can play in using its voice with with Hamas, to try to bring this to conclusion."

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Writing by Jonathan Spicer)