ANKARA: Turkiye's state-run news agency says the country will host 15 Palestinian prisoners who were released and deported as part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

The Turkish intelligence organisation, MIT, is taking steps to “facilitate” the arrival of the 15 Palestinians from Egypt, the Anadolu Agency said Tuesday.

Arrangements were made to ensure the Palestinians can live “peacefully and securely” in Turkiye, Anadolu said.

The news agency did not name the Palestinians that Ankara was preparing to take in. Those who were deported have been convicted of serious crimes.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Sunday that Turkiye was prepared to support the Palestinian people, including providing medical treatment for those wounded in the conflict and taking in released prisoners who would be deported from the region.

Unlike its Western allies, Turkiye does not consider Hamas to be a terror organisation. A strong critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hosted several Hamas officials over the years.