Politics
Türkiye ready to ‘send troops’ to Gaza: Top diplomat
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye’s readiness to shoulder the burden in Gaza and 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 televised interview late Saturday.
The Netanyahu administration of Israel adamantly opposes a Turkish presence in the Palestinian enclave. It has been vocal in this opposition, with several Israeli officials insisting that there should not be “Turkish boots on the ground” in Gaza.
Türkiye has been behind a diplomatic blitz to end Israel’s attacks on Gaza since 2023 and mobilized to isolate Israel in the international community, taking part in a genocide case against the Israeli officials and ceasing all commercial ties with Israel. Ankara also advocates a two-state solution recognizing a sovereign State of Palestine with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, as the only way for a permanent cease-fire.
The country also backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan and participated in talks in Egypt, where Israel and Hamas recently agreed to a cease-fire.
Fidan said a U.N. Security Council draft resolution on Trump’s peace plan 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 plan, and that discussions are focused on shaping a legal framework that would define its mandate and its functioning once implemented.
He stated that discussions are ongoing regarding the establishment of a peace commission and the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, noting that the proposals continue to evolve and the U.S. is working on the issue in consultation with Türkiye.
He noted that preliminary efforts for the stabilization force have begun, including a U.S.-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 U.S. Central Command in Israel to monitor developments in Gaza following a cease-fire agreement.
Fidan emphasized that Washington has developed a mechanism to address obstacles in the process, a step he described as important in terms of ownership and commitment.
The U.N. Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution backing Trump’s plan, diplomats said, while Russia submitted a rival draft resolution.
Last week, the U.S. officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a cease-fire in Israel’s two-year war on the Gaza Strip and endorse Trump’s plan. A draft of the resolution, seen Thursday by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), “welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,” a transitional governing body for Gaza that Trump would theoretically chair, with a mandate running until the end of 2027.
It would authorize member states to form a “temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)” that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. The U.S. and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, called on Friday for the U.N. Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution.
“The U.S., Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Türkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,” the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure’s “swift adoption.”
Fidan told A Haber that Türkiye remains determined to advance the mechanisms needed to coordinate progress on the cease-fire agreement, stressing that close dialogue continues between the relevant military authorities.
He said Türkiye played an active role in the Sharm el-Sheikh talks that enabled the Gaza cease-fire, 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 rather 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. In contrast, 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.
Noting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s September meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, he said the two leaders discussed major topics related to 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 U.S., 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.
Ending occupation
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 road map that will end Israel’s occupation and make a two-state solution possible must also be provided to the Palestinians.”
CAATSA issue
Touching upon U.S. sanctions on Türkiye, as manifested in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Fidan said Trump expressed a clear will to resolve the issue during his meeting with President Erdoğan in September.
Fidan said Trump told Erdoğan during their Sept. 25 White House meeting that CAATSA should not stand between the two countries and directed his bureaucracy to work on lifting it, calling it a clear display of intent driven by Trump’s confidence in and regard for the Turkish president.
Fidan stressed that CAATSA is a law passed by the U.S. Congress. “As long as there is goodwill in our bilateral relations, the search for solutions will not run out,” he said.
He stated that there are proposals supported by Erdoğan that will be shared with the public when the time is right, stressing that the key difference is Washington’s willingness to resolve the issue.
“Unlike under former U.S. President Joe Biden, the U.S. now has the intention to resolve this … Trump has issued instructions on the matter and shown his will,” he said.
Fidan said both sides are closely following the process and expressed hope for a solution soon. Fidan noted that the main obstacle with CAATSA lies in the conditions set out in the law, saying they are working through the text and that it contains many detailed provisions. For the issue to be resolved as Türkiye seeks, “certain steps will also need to be taken on the congressional side,” he added.
Türkiye was sanctioned under CAATSA in 2020 for purchasing Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.
In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. suspended Türkiye from the F-35 program after objecting to Türkiye’s purchase of an S-400 missile defense system, claiming the Russian system would endanger the fighter jets.
Türkiye has repeatedly stated that there is no conflict between the two systems and has proposed a commission to study the issue. Türkiye also said it had fulfilled its obligations regarding the F-35s and that the suspension violated the rules. Ankara maintains that ending the impasse would strengthen not only Türkiye but also NATO.
Last year, the U.S. State Department approved a pending $23 billion sale of F-16 aircraft and modernization kits to Türkiye.
Syria’s occupation
The state of the terrorist group YPG in Syria is a sore point in Turkish-U.S. relations, but both sides may find a way forward and resolve the issue, as Fidan pointed out in his interview.
Türkiye’s top diplomat emphasized that Ankara’s efforts to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and the well-being of its people, while seeking to move forward collectively with regional countries, is an approach only states with a deep strategic culture can pursue.
Türkiye’s presence in Syria, he said, is natural, as addressing the country’s problems benefits not only Türkiye.
The key distinction in Türkiye’s foreign policy, he added, is that it does not act solely for its own advantage but aims to advance shared regional interests.
Fidan said the issue of the PKK/YPG terrorist group, which operates under the name of the SDF in Syria, has been a significant topic in talks with Washington, stressing that progress requires “a shared understanding.”
Noting that the U.S. built certain mechanisms and political investments under the pretext of fighting Daesh, he said that “rolling this back” and resolving it in a way that serves all sides requires “care, order and patience.”
He noted the importance of contacts between Damascus and the YPG, saying the talks were recently interrupted due to developments following Israel’s intervention in southern Syria. Fidan added that “the primary concern for both Türkiye and the U.S. is to ensure that Israel ceases to be a threat to Syria and Syria does not become a threat to Israel and all sides respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
He stressed that parts of Syria remain under occupation and the “occupation must end,” while no actor should adopt a posture that threatens the rest of the country.
“We expect the talks the YPG is conducting with Damascus to evolve to a certain point,” he said, noting that negotiations are ongoing with the U.S. as well as through Türkiye’s own channels. Efforts continue to steer all tracks toward a concrete result, he said, adding that one of the main reasons for pauses in the Damascus-YPG dialogue is the group’s tendency to stray from its course and seek opportunities in new regional crises.
Turkish authorities monitor the progress in integration of the YPG into the Syrian army, per a March deal between the group and the new administration in Damascus. Authorities view it as a “red line” in the initiative. Ankara earlier hinted at a military offensive if the YPG reneges on the integration deal and keeps its status as a terrorist group. The YPG currently seeks a new agreement with Damascus for maintaining three divisions in Hassakeh, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour of Syria. However, Damascus is not warm toward this idea, likely due to the high number of the Arab population in these areas, which outnumbers the Kurds that the YPG finds recruits from.
During Syria’s civil war, which ended last December with the fall of the Baathist regime, the YPG enjoyed a self-styled autonomy in northeastern Syria, across the Turkish border. Under the pretext of fighting Daesh in Syria’s north, the terrorist group received broad military support from the U.S. for years.
Fidan also pointed to Israeli provocations in southern Syria, particularly targeting the Druze community, and described the removal of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his colleagues from the U.N. terrorist list as “a very significant diplomatic move,” thanking members of the U.N. Security Council.
Hope for EU bid
Also commenting on Türkiye’s prolonged membership bid for the European Union, Fidan said that there soon might be “new progress,” pointing to recent remarks by Germany’s chancellor. Fidan welcomed Friedrich Merz’s comments supporting Türkiye’s EU membership, calling them “an important renewal of political will.”
“I believe there will be new progress with the EU in this period,” he said, adding: “For the German chancellor to state publicly in Ankara that Germany wants Türkiye in the EU is a significant renewal of political will. The fact that this comes from Germany is important, and we value it.”
Responding to a question on Türkiye’s accession process, Fidan said both Ankara and Brussels were operating within a “new set of conditions and psychology,” requiring fresh approaches and policies. He underlined that Erdoğan’s position following his reelection in May 2023 has been a key driver.
“Following the election, the president made it clear to me that he expected maximum effort on this file,” Fidan said, noting that this constituted a direct mandate on EU policy.
Fidan also discussed recent shifts in EU security and defense priorities. He said the EU’s efforts to reshape its security architecture place a strong emphasis on revitalizing the bloc’s defense industry.
He noted that this priority gained momentum after the Russia-Ukraine war and further accelerated under the Trump administration.
The EU, he said, plans to establish a joint 150 billion euros (over $174 billion) low-interest fund to support defense capabilities, which member states will be able to access. The bloc has also lifted its borrowing ceiling under financial rules and created an additional 800 billion euros ($930 billion) fund, describing it as a mechanism of taking money from the future to save the day.
Addressing the mechanisms applied to candidate countries, Fidan noted that some resources require approval from EU member states. “Here, certain difficulties may arise for Türkiye due to (opposition by) Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration,” he said.
Despite this, he stressed, the larger 800 billion euro fund, along with the growing number of Turkish firms establishing companies and joint ventures across the EU, will enable Türkiye to benefit from the bloc’s financial instruments.
Turkish companies’ growing presence in the EU through new firms and partnerships would enable Türkiye to utilize these funds better, he said.
He said Ankara aims to build prosperity-based cooperation not only with the EU, but also with its partners to the east, north and across the Mediterranean. Fidan said the EU has succeeded in becoming a supranational entity, but “could not become a civilization-transcending entity.”
Highlighting Türkiye’s progress, he added that Türkiye completed major investments in infrastructure, energy, defense, health, communication and education largely without receiving significant EU funds. “Türkiye now has infrastructure far above the standards of many European countries, and its population is approaching 90 million,” he said.
Türkiye on Tuesday strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, warning that Israel’s escalating attacks are undermining the country’s territorial integrity and stability.
In a statement issued Aug. 18, the Foreign Ministry said Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on the military facility, located in the Idlib countryside, in the early hours of Tuesday.
“We strongly condemn the airstrikes carried out by Israel early this morning against the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in the countryside of Syria’s Idlib,” the ministry said.
The ministry criticized Israel for “recklessly” continuing attacks targeting Syria’s infrastructure and capabilities while violating the country’s territorial integrity and unity.
Ankara also urged the international community to take a firmer stance against Israel’s increasingly aggressive actions in Syria.
“We call on the international community to adopt a more resolute position to put an end to Israel’s aggression against Syria, which is taking on a new dimension with each passing day, and to ensure accountability for these actions that disregard international law,” the ministry said.
The statement comes amid heightened tensions over Israeli violations in Syria, with Türkiye repeatedly stressing the need to preserve Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity.
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base.
“These attacks targeting Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and infrastructure are a continuation of a reckless policy of aggression that threatens regional peace and stability,” Duran said.
He said that Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, would continue to support Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose any attempt that threatens peace and stability in the region.
Israel’s recent strikes on a military base in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province and the use of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s image in an election poster by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party bearing the slogan “They want Netanyahu to lose” are seen by experts as signs of the growing political and strategic pressure Netanyahu is facing.
“The circumstantial aspect of the issue is that, as Israel heads into an election period, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main concern is finding a new political target,” Gökhan Çınkara, an associate professor at Necmettin Erbakan University and director of the Global and Regional Studies Center, told Daily Sabah.
“This was already evident in the campaign poster he used for the election,” he said, adding that the decline in support for Netanyahu’s Likud party could be seen as another indication of the pressure he faces.
As Israel’s Oct. 27 elections approach, political parties have stepped up their campaigning.
A new election poster displayed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party on a billboard in Tel Aviv features images of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan alongside Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win,” as seen in the poster.
The campaign comes amid an increase in rhetoric targeting Türkiye and President Erdoğan by Israeli politicians ahead of the Oct. 27 vote.
Çınkara also remarked that Netanyahu’s political predicament and lack of a clear policy agenda has led him to target figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an effort to consolidate his electoral base.
Alongside Netanyahu’s campaign move involving Erdoğan, diplomatic pressure on Tel Aviv is also mounting over the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy, met Netanyahu to discuss efforts toward a cease-fire in Gaza.
The talks, which lasted about four hours, focused on obstacles to a cease-fire and arrangements for the postwar period. According to U.S. media reports, Kushner urged Netanyahu not to obstruct efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement.
Ufuk Necat Taşçı, assistant professor of International Relations at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University also noted that Israel entered the conflict with Iran on the basis of flawed intelligence assessments, while largely failing to achieve its main objectives.
He pointed to factors including Gadi Eisenkot’s growing political prominence and internal divisions within Netanyahu’s Likud party as signs of mounting domestic pressure.
As Kushner met Netanyahu, Trump also made remarks on Gaza, pointing to Hamas’ decision to lay down its arms.
“Israel should stop bombing Gaza,” Trump said.
Trump also stated it would not be appropriate for him to become directly involved in Israel’s Oct. 27 elections, though he said he could endorse a candidate.
Furthermore, Merve Suna Özel Özcan, associate professor and the vice chair of the International Relations Department at Kırıkkale University, said anti-Türkiye rhetoric is increasingly being used as a tool for electoral mobilization in Israel, with President Erdoğan portrayed not only as a regional rival but also as an external threat that could help Netanyahu rally support and bolster his political position.
She noted that portraying Türkiye as a potential security threat is not a new development in Israel, pointing to the Nagel Committee report, which had previously raised concerns over Ankara’s growing regional influence, particularly in Syria.
“Against this backdrop, Erdoğan’s appearance in Israeli election propaganda and the targeting of potential Turkish military capabilities in Syria should not be viewed as developments that emerged overnight,” the expert said. “Rather, they are the political and military manifestations of a threat narrative that has been developing for some time.”
Recently, Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper known for its criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, published an analysis arguing that Netanyahu has portrayed Türkiye as a major threat in an apparent effort to gain an electoral advantage while also examining Ankara’s bid to acquire F-35 fighter jets from the United States.
The analysis recalled that President Erdoğan and U.S. President Trump projected a warm rapport during the NATO summit in Ankara and that Washington signaled openness to a potential F-35 sale to Türkiye. It said those developments have been met with growing concern within both the Israeli government and the Israeli public, stating: “The election is approaching, and the ‘Mr. Security’ campaign has begun. In a calculated move, Benjamin Netanyahu last week launched a blitz of interviews, phone calls and statements in an attempt to block the sale of F-35 jets to Türkiye.”
Özcan offered that the changing regional environment following the Mecca Agreement should also be taken into consideration, while cautioning against portraying the agreement as an anti-Israel alliance.
All three countries support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the 1967 borders, the expert noted.
“From Israel’s perspective, therefore, the issue is not simply the emergence of another military mechanism, but the possibility that regional powers are beginning to build their own security and stability architecture,” she emphasized.
In an interview with the UAE-based The National, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last month discussed tensions between Türkiye and Israel, as well as the Israeli government’s regional policies.
Fidan said there was no reason for a direct confrontation between Türkiye and Israel, arguing that Netanyahu has increasingly resorted to hostile rhetoric as he seeks a new political adversary ahead of the country’s upcoming elections.
Aylin Ünver Noi, professor of International Relations and Vice Rector of Beykoz University, indicated that “This should be viewed as an attempt to group together figures who oppose Israel’s regional policies, particularly its policies toward Hamas and the Palestinians.”
Whether the strategy will prove effective remains uncertain, she said, but the choice of figures featured in the campaign is significant because they have been associated with opposition to Israeli policies on the Palestinian issue.
“Türkiye and, in this context, the New York mayor should also be assessed from this perspective,” the expert added.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said last month that the city cannot enforce the international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but called on the federal government to act.
In the video, Mamdani described the Israeli prime minister as a “war criminal” and said he is not welcome in New York City.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” he said in a video posted on X. “The federal government, however, does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” he added, referring to the International Criminal Court.
Noi also described Türkiye’s broader foreign policy as focused on promoting regional and international stability and peace, pointing to Ankara’s diplomatic engagement in several conflict zones stretching from the Balkans and the South Caucasus to conflicts in Africa.
Israel, aggression in Syria
Israel has been carrying out incursions into Syrian territory since the December 2024 since the overthrow of the ousted Bashar Assad regime, including sending troops into a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974.
Israel, on Tuesday, carried out airstrikes on the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, drawing attention from both Türkiye and regional countries.
Özcan stated that Israel’s latest strike in Syria should also be assessed within this broader context, arguing that the targeting of Abu al-Duhur Air Base could reflect Israeli concerns over Türkiye’s potential future military capabilities in the country.
“Although the base has remained largely inactive for some time, its potential future use by Türkiye suggests that Israel is concerned not only about existing threats but also about capabilities that could emerge in the future,” she said.
In a statement issued Aug. 18, the Foreign Ministry of Türkiye condemned the Israeli forces that carried out airstrikes on the military facility, located in the Idlib countryside, in the early hours of Tuesday.
“We strongly condemn the airstrikes carried out by Israel early this morning against the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base in the countryside of Syria’s Idlib,” the ministry said.
The ministry criticized Israel for “recklessly” continuing attacks targeting Syria’s infrastructure and capabilities while violating the country’s territorial integrity and unity.
Ankara also urged the international community to take a firmer stance against Israel’s increasingly aggressive actions in Syria.
Çınkara also added that another key issue for Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks has been how to restore its eroded deterrence.
“Against this backdrop, Israel tends to perceive virtually any military activity in the region as a potential threat,” he underlined. “This has become one of the main factors driving Israel’s increasingly aggressive military posture in places such as Lebanon and Syria.”
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur Military Air Base.
“These attacks targeting Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and infrastructure are a continuation of a reckless policy of aggression that threatens regional peace and stability,” Duran noted.
He said that Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, would continue to support Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose any attempt that threatens peace and stability in the region.
“Israel does not want a strong, unitary state on its border because it perceives such a state as a potential security threat,” Noi argued.
She also said the latest Israeli strikes should also be assessed against efforts to rehabilitate Syrian military infrastructure and Türkiye’s close relations with the new Syrian authorities.
“Türkiye has a fundamentally different approach,” Noi stressed. “Ankara wants to see a strong, unitary Syrian state and seeks to ensure its own security through stable relations with its neighbors.”
Türkiye’s broader regional policy is based on having stable and capable states along its borders and developing cooperative relations with them, according to her.
U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Thursday that Washington is working to establish a deconfliction mechanism among Israel, Türkiye and Syria following an Israeli strike on a Syrian air base near the Turkish border.
Referring to the possibility of a Turkish military response, Barrack said Türkiye, after observing aircraft heading toward its territory, may have “understandably prepared to respond.”
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls Tuesday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, diplomatic sources said.
Fidan and his Qatari counterpart discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the sources.
In a separate call with al-Shaibani, Fidan discussed the latest developments in the region.
The calls came amid heightened attention on regional developments and the situation surrounding the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Fidan met with his Qatari counterpart, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on July 19, a few days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the country to extend condolences for the late emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Türkiye and Qatar have steadily deepened their strategic partnership since establishing it in 2014 through high-level exchanges and bilateral agreements spanning a wide range of fields.
On the other hand, Fidan hosted his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, in Ankara on July 6 as the two neighboring countries continue to deepen relations following the collapse of the Baathist regime in 2024.
Regarding the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, Syria’s top diplomat stressed that the fighting in the region should come to an end as soon as possible. He noted that the regional tensions were also affecting Syria and said Damascus condemned Iran’s attacks against the Gulf countries.
Civil society groups supporting Palestinians will hold simultaneous events in more than 17 countries on Wednesday to call for greater humanitarian access to Gaza as the world marks World Humanitarian Day.
The global initiative, called the “Voice of Humanity,” will take place across five continents on Aug. 19, according to Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, head of the Palestine Support Platform, one of the organizations participating in the campaign.
Speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, Kabaktepe called on the public to support the initiative, saying access to food, medicine, shelter and healthcare should be regarded as a fundamental right rather than a concession.
“We are talking about a right, not a favor,” Kabaktepe noted, arguing that restrictions on humanitarian assistance have left civilians in Gaza struggling to obtain essential supplies.
Kabaktepe said tens of thousands of civilians have been killed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and that children, women, patients and other vulnerable people continue to face difficulties accessing food and medical supplies.
He also accused Israel of failing to comply with provisions on humanitarian assistance under a cease-fire agreement, saying the arrangement envisaged the entry of at least 600 aid trucks into Gaza each day.
Kabaktepe called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor and urged international organizations and institutions to work to ensure the delivery of aid into the Palestinian enclave.
As part of Wednesday’s campaign, supporters in Istanbul are expected to gather at Üsküdar Square at 6:30 p.m. local time.
Organizers will call for humanitarian assistance to be kept separate from political negotiations and for restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza to be lifted.
“Humanitarian aid cannot be a matter of negotiation,” Kabaktepe underlined.
He urged international organizations and governments to increase efforts to secure humanitarian access to Gaza.
World Humanitarian Day is observed annually on Aug. 19 to recognize humanitarian workers and people affected by crises around the world.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and preserve the cease-fire in a phone call Monday, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The two ministers reviewed the latest developments in ongoing negotiations concerning the reopening of the strategic waterway and the continuation of the cease-fire, according to the sources.
The two top diplomats spoke amid ongoing tensions in the region, with suspected Iranian drones targeting Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s office in Irbil on Monday.
Meanwhile, Fidan also held separate phone calls with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Nechirvan Barzani and KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday, Foreign Ministry sources said. The talks focused on the latest developments in the region, the sources added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated newly appointed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a phone call Monday, as the two leaders pledged to deepen the strategic partnership between Türkiye and the United Kingdom, particularly in defense, security, trade and investment.
Erdoğan and Burnham discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments, according to a statement on the call.
Erdoğan congratulated Burnham on assuming his new post and expressed confidence that relations between Ankara and London would reach new heights in the coming period.
The president highlighted the significant progress Türkiye and the U.K. have made in cooperation across a broad range of areas, particularly in the defense industry.
He also underscored the importance of the Strategic Partnership Framework Document and the Security and Defense Partnership Document signed by the two countries, describing them as key instruments for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Erdoğan said Ankara and London would continue working together to increase bilateral trade volume and achieve their shared objectives in investment, while building on the growing strategic partnership between the two NATO allies.
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