Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye’s readiness to shoulder the burden in Gaza and fulfill its responsibilities “with a great sense of duty, including sending troops.”
“This is our clearest message to the international community on this matter,” Fidan said in a televised interview late Saturday.
The Netanyahu administration of Israel adamantly opposes a Turkish presence in the Palestinian enclave. It has been vocal in this opposition, with several Israeli officials insisting that there should not be “Turkish boots on the ground” in Gaza.
Türkiye has been behind a diplomatic blitz to end Israel’s attacks on Gaza since 2023 and mobilized to isolate Israel in the international community, taking part in a genocide case against the Israeli officials and ceasing all commercial ties with Israel. Ankara also advocates a two-state solution recognizing a sovereign State of Palestine with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, as the only way for a permanent cease-fire.
The country also backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan and participated in talks in Egypt, where Israel and Hamas recently agreed to a cease-fire.
Fidan said a U.N. Security Council draft resolution on Trump’s peace plan is still under debate and continues to evolve. He noted that the proposed stabilization force is one of the two structures outlined in the phased plan, and that discussions are focused on shaping a legal framework that would define its mandate and its functioning once implemented.
He stated that discussions are ongoing regarding the establishment of a peace commission and the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, noting that the proposals continue to evolve and the U.S. is working on the issue in consultation with Türkiye.
He noted that preliminary efforts for the stabilization force have begun, including a U.S.-coordinated Civil-Military Coordination Center set up with Israel.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), officially inaugurated Oct. 17, is the first international operational platform established by U.S. Central Command in Israel to monitor developments in Gaza following a cease-fire agreement.
Fidan emphasized that Washington has developed a mechanism to address obstacles in the process, a step he described as important in terms of own
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