FM: Israel rejects any Turkish military presence in Gaza

Israel has ruled out the deployment of Turkish armed forces in Gaza under a US-led initiative aimed at establishing a permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on October 27.

The plan, put forward by US President Donald Trump, envisions an international force in Gaza to help secure the fragile truce that began earlier this month, ending two years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

It remains uncertain which countries will commit troops to the proposed multinational force. “Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to Israel,” Saar said at a news conference in Budapest.

Relations between Israel and Türkiye, once cordial, deteriorated sharply during the Gaza war, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemning Israel’s air and ground operations in the enclave. 

“Türkiye, led by Erdoğan, led a hostile approach against Israel,” Saar said. “So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends.”

While Washington has excluded sending US troops into Gaza, it has engaged in talks with Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and Azerbaijan to contribute forces to the international mission.

Last week, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated strong opposition to any Turkish role in Gaza. He said Israel would retain authority over which foreign forces are allowed into the territory.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Israel to reinforce the truce, noted that the international force would need to comprise “countries that Israel’s comfortable with,” without specifically mentioning Turkish involvement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev