ANKARA/ISTANBUL 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Türkiye is prepared to assume responsibility in the Gaza Strip, including the possibility of deploying troops, if necessary.

Türkiye is ready to shoulder the burden in Gaza, and "it will 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 live interview with A Haber.

Noting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s September meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump, he said the two leaders discussed major topics concerning relations and regional dynamics.

Fidan said Türkiye’s recent “foreign policy performance” and its reliability as a partner have made it “a sought-after actor for cooperation on many issues.”

The talks in the US, he said, again brought forward matters of critical importance for both countries, the wider region and global peace and stability.

He underlined that maintaining a shared understanding and close coordination is essential to safeguard and advance Türkiye’s national interests, adding that discussions at the White House focused on Syria, Palestine and Ukraine.

Fidan said a UN Security Council draft resolution 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 Trump Peace Plan, and discussions are focused on shaping a legal framework that would define its mandate and how it would function once implemented.

He stated that discussions are ongoing regarding the establishment of a peace commission and an International Stabilization Force for Gaza, noting that the proposals continue to evolve and the US is working on the issue in consultation with Türkiye.

He noted that preliminary efforts for the stabilization force have begun, including a US-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 US Central Command in Israel to monitor developments in Gaza following a ceasefire agreement.

Fidan emphasized that Washington, which backed the Trump-era ceasefire plan, has developed a mechanism to address obstacles in the process -- a step he described as important in terms of ownership and commitment.

Fidan added that Türkiye remains determined to advance the mechanisms needed to coordinate progress on the ceasefire agreement, stressing that close dialogue continues between the relevant military authorities.

Fidan said Türkiye played an active role in the Sharm el-Sheikh talks that enabled the Gaza ceasefire, noting that Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye helped bring the agreement into effect. He added that the declaration signed by the countries is not a traditional guarantor model but reflects their continued political support for the truce.

He noted that Türkiye appointed a humanitarian aid coordinator for Gaza and continues to work intensively to deliver assistance, while the amount of aid entering the enclave remains below what Israel previously pledged.

He also said discussions are underway to form a non-political committee to run Gaza’s daily administration, and Hamas has expressed its readiness to hand over governance to a Palestinian-led body.

-Roadmap to end Israeli occupation must be provided

Fidan said Türkiye “looks at the act, not the actor,” stressing that oppression is condemned regardless of who commits it.

He argued that as long as the occupation continues, armed resistance will persist, “if it is not Hamas, it will be someone else. This is inherent to resisting an occupation.”

“What we are saying is this: the issue should not begin with disarming Hamas, but with establishing a mechanism that ends the occupation and reduces and eliminates oppression. This logic needs to be clearly explained," he said.

"There is a reaction that stems from portraying Hamas as if it were a terrorist group like ISIS (Daesh). There are efforts to turn this reaction into policy. We, of course, need to deconstruct this rhetoric and rebuild it. This is essentially what we try to do most in diplomacy -- first analyze and dismantle false perceptions, then replace them with the correct ones."

Fidan added that "a roadmap that will end Israel’s occupation and make a two-state solution possible must also be provided to the Palestinians."