Turkiye working on UN-backed mandate for Gaza peacekeeping force: FM Hakan Fidan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Ankara is working on a UN Security Council mandate for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Gaza, and that a final decision on troop deployment will be made once the framework is complete.

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul following a meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia, convened to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction, Fidan stressed that Israel must halt its attacks on the enclave.

“Israel continues to violate the Gaza ceasefire agreement,” the Turkish foreign minister said, adding that there are “serious challenges” in fully implementing the accord.

He noted that Israel is blocking aid trucks from entering Gaza, urging Tel Aviv to “fulfil its obligations and ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”

When asked whether Turkey would send its own troops to Gaza, Fidan responded that countries are currently working to define the mission’s scope and legal basis, and that each state will decide its participation accordingly.

He further stated that Hamas has agreed to hand over Gaza’s administration to a Palestinian committee, emphasizing that Turkey wants Palestinians to manage their own security and governance after the war—though several preliminary steps must be taken first.

Fidan added that the foreign ministers’ meeting supported transferring Gaza’s administration to the Palestinians and also discussed plans for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction.

It is worth noting that Turkey has expressed interest in joining the potential international peacekeeping mission in Gaza, a proposal that Israel has strongly opposed.