Blinken Pledges More Gaza Aid During Türkiye Visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after their meeting, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Türkiye, November 6, 2023. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after their meeting, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Türkiye, November 6, 2023. (Reuters)
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Blinken Pledges More Gaza Aid During Türkiye Visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after their meeting, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Türkiye, November 6, 2023. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after their meeting, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Türkiye, November 6, 2023. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington was working "very aggressively" to dramatically expand the amount of aid reaching trapped civilians in Gaza.

The top US diplomat held 2.5 hours of one-on-one talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan focused on soothing the anger at both Israel and the West of one of Washington's most strategic but difficult allies.

NATO member Türkiye has been an increasingly vocal critic of the way Israel has been pursuing its month-long offensive against Hamas militants who staged an October 7 attack into Israel -- the deadliest in the country's history.

Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who marched on an air base housing US forces in southeastern Türkiye hours before Blinken's arrival Sunday.

Hundreds more rallied outside the Turkish foreign ministry during his visit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself was travelling across Türkiye’s remote northeast on Monday in an apparent snub of Washington's top diplomat.

Blinken told reporters after the meeting that Washington was aware of "the deep concern" in Türkiye "for the terrible toll" in Gaza.

"We are working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and we have very concrete ways of doing that," Blinken said before boarding a plane for Japan.

"I think we will see in the days ahead that the assistance can expand in significant ways," he added without providing details.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Fidan pressed Blinken for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza".

"Fidan also pointed out to his US counterpart Blinken that bombing civilian targets and destroying infrastructure in Gaza is unacceptable," the Turkish source said.

Tough talks

Blinken's talks with Fidan would have been packed with problems even before Israel launched a relentless bombing and expanding ground campaign aimed at eradicating Hamas.

The Hamas-run health ministry said nearly 10,000 people -- mostly civilians -- had been killed in more than four weeks of war in Gaza.

The operation started after the militants killed more than 1,400 people -- also mostly civilians -- and took over 240 hostages.

The war threatens to have broad repercussions on Washington's relations with Türkiye.

Ankara has a muscular foreign policy and stakes in conflicts across the Middle East that occasionally fail to align with those of Washington or other NATO allies.

Washington is currently anxious to see Türkiye’s parliament finally ratify Sweden's stalled drive to join the US-led NATO defense organization.

The United States has also been tightening sanctions against Turkish individuals and companies that are deemed to be helping Russia evade sanctions and import goods for use in its war on Ukraine.

And Ankara is upset that the US Congress is holding up the approval of a deal backed by President Joe Biden to modernize Türkiye’s air force with dozens of US F-16 fighter jets.

Türkiye also has longstanding reservations about US support for Kurdish forces in Syria who spearheaded the fight against ISIS group extremists but are viewed by Ankara as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Ankara has stepped up air strikes against armed Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq in reprisal for an October attack on the Turkish capital claimed by the PKK in which two assailants died.

Blinken called his talks in Ankara "very good, lengthy and productive".

But he provided few details about the outstanding dispute and highlighted Türkiye’s "commitment" to accept Sweden into NATO.

Blinken faced a chorus of Arab calls to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a whirlwind tour of the Middle East that saw him visit both Iraq and the West Bank on Sunday.

Israel says it could accept a humanitarian pause to allow in additional shipments of aid once Hamas frees the hostages.

Blinken said on Monday only that "pause could help" secure more aid deliveries to Gaza.



Death Toll in Roof Collapse at Nightclub in Dominican Republic Rises

Members of rescue teams stand at the site of the Jet Set nightclub days after its roof collapsed during a concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Members of rescue teams stand at the site of the Jet Set nightclub days after its roof collapsed during a concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Death Toll in Roof Collapse at Nightclub in Dominican Republic Rises

Members of rescue teams stand at the site of the Jet Set nightclub days after its roof collapsed during a concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Members of rescue teams stand at the site of the Jet Set nightclub days after its roof collapsed during a concert in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The number of dead in a roof collapse at an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic surged to 218 on Thursday, an official said.
Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors, although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.
“We've practically combed through ground zero,” he said, adding that there's one very small area of rubble left that crews are focusing on. “This has been very difficult for us all.”
According to The Associated Press, doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear, especially the eight who were in critical condition.
“If the trauma is too great, there's not a lot of time” left to save patients in that condition, said Health Minister Víctor Atallah.
He and other doctors said that injuries include fractures in the skull, femur and pelvis caused by slabs of cement falling on those attending a merengue concert at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, where more than 200 were injured.
On Wednesday, dozens of people had anxiously searched for their loved ones, growing frustrated upon getting no answers after visiting hospitals and the country’s forensic institute. By Thursday, a lone family remained with no answers.
María Luisa Taveras told TV station Noticias SIN that she was still looking for her sister.
“We have gone everywhere they told us,” she said, her voice breaking.
Taveras said the family has spread out, with a relative stationed at each hospital and at the forensic institute.
The government said Wednesday night that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies.
The legendary club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the roof collapsed.
Victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before the roof fell; former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi whose brother is seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.
Also killed was a retired United Nations official; saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage when the roof fell; New York-based fashion designer Martín Polanco; the son and daughter-in-law of the minister of public works; the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth; and three employees of Grupo Popular, a financial services company, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.
Randolfo Rijo Gómez, director of the country's 911 system, said it received more than 100 calls, with several of those made by people buried under the rubble. He noted that police arrived at the scene in 90 seconds, followed minutes later by first response units. In less than half an hour, 25 soldiers, seven fire brigades and 77 ambulances were activated, he said.
Crews used dogs and thermal cameras to search for victims, rescuing more than 180 survivors from the rubble, authorities said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
The government said late Wednesday that once the recovery phase ends, it will launch a thorough investigation.
The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson for the family that owns the club told The Associated Press that she passed along questions about potential inspections.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.