Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to call for prompt arrangements to ensure that Palestinians take charge of Gaza’s security and administration when foreign ministers meet in Istanbul on Monday, a source in Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The meeting will bring together the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia to review developments in the Gaza ceasefire and the worsening humanitarian situation in the enclave, the source said.
Fidan is expected to emphasise coordinated action among Muslim nations to turn the existing truce into a lasting peace, the source added.
The participating countries had earlier attended a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where the framework of the U.S.-brokered Gaza truce was discussed.
That truce, though still in effect, has faced periodic violations, while contentious issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza remain unresolved.
According to the foreign ministry source, Fidan will accuse Israel of “making excuses” to undermine the ceasefire and urge the international community to take a firm stance against Israel’s provocative actions.
He will also highlight that humanitarian aid entering Gaza remains insufficient, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv have sharply deteriorated during the Gaza conflict. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has been among the strongest critics of Israel’s military operations, repeatedly condemning its strikes on the enclave.
Turkey played a key role in persuading Hamas to accept Trump’s peace plan and has expressed readiness to join an international task force to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire.
However, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said last Monday that Israel would not accept Turkish forces as part of any peace-monitoring mission in Gaza under the U.S.-led plan.
