At Istanbul summit, Hakan Fidan urges Muslim-led Gaza administration; Israel rebuffs Turkish military presence, reaffirming sovereign control under U.S.-brokered truce.
In another bid to reshape Gaza’s post-war reality, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will on Monday urge fellow Muslim states to create a Palestinian-run administrative authority in the Strip, according to diplomatic sources in Ankara.
Foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia will gather in Istanbul to discuss the fragile ceasefire and humanitarian situation following the U.S.-brokered truce engineered under President Donald Trump’s mediation.
Fidan is expected to press for “urgent arrangements” allowing Gaza to be administered by “Palestinians themselves,” calling on Muslim nations to “act in coordination for lasting peace.”
However, his remarks come amid deep Israeli suspicion toward Ankara’s intentions. Relations between Jerusalem and Ankara have plunged since the war began, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intensifying his rhetoric against Israel and defending Hamas as “resistance.”
Turkey was instrumental in convincing Hamas to initially accept Trump’s ceasefire framework, which temporarily halted large-scale hostilities but left key security issues unresolved — chiefly, the disarmament of Hamas and the timeline for Israeli withdrawal. Since the ceasefire took effect, sporadic attacks have continued, testing the agreement’s durability.
According to Turkish sources, Fidan plans to accuse Israel of “making excuses” to end the ceasefire and of failing to meet humanitarian obligations. Yet Israeli officials counter that Turkey’s rhetoric only emboldens Hamas and undermines the peace framework painstakingly built through U.S.-Israeli coordination.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar firmly rejected any Turkish military role under the Trump-devised plan.
“Israel will not accept Turkish armed forces or proxies in Gaza — not now, not ever,” Saar said last Monday, reaffirming Israel’s right to secure its borders and prevent the re-militarization of Gaza under any guise.
Analysts note that while Turkey seeks to reassert itself as the “protector of Palestinians,” Israel — backed by Washington — is determined to ensure that any post-war Gaza remains demilitarized, de-radicalized, and free of foreign interference.
