Politics
Erdoğan vows to stand with Gaza after cease-fire, monitoring Israel
Speaking to reporters as he was returning from Egypt, where he attended a leaders’ summit on a peace deal for Gaza, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged caution against Israel in the aftermath of the cease-fire.
“It is wrong to see a peace deal as a complete solution to the Palestine issue. We have a tough process ahead; Israel’s adherence to the peace deal should be ensured. Türkiye is determined to safeguard the cease-fire, Israel will pay the price if it goes back to committing genocide,” Erdoğan said.
“We will work hard to address the accommodation of Gazans before winter. Cease-fire does not mean that the international community’s task ended; it has just begun. We have to stand stronger with Gaza, continue our efforts so genocide will not be forgotten,” the president added.
Since the new round of the Palestine-Israel conflict erupted in October 2023, Türkiye threw its support to the Palestinians and the Hamas resistance movement. Erdoğan has been one of the most vocal leaders about Israel’s war crimes and genocide targeting Palestinians. As Israel tightened its blockade of Gaza, Türkiye sought to deliver more humanitarian aid to Palestinians who were starved to death or faced severe shortages of water and medicine.
Two years of Israeli attacks left Gaza largely in ruins as the devastation inflicted by Israel even continued hours before the cease-fire declaration was announced.
The president noted that people of Gaza still lived in tents as most residential buildings were rendered uninhabitable due to Israel’s attacks. “Certainly, these people cannot stay permanently in those tents. I instructed my colleagues to deliver prefabricated housing units to the region if the need arises. We hope to deliver them by winter. AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) will be tasked with this. Türkiye favors peace and this is what our next step is. We are very excited that an order of peace will be established in Gaza,” he said. The president noted that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the director of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın, would continue their talks with their counterparts in the region to discuss what countries can do together and how they could move forward in the process.
He said they discussed the roles countries can play in the reconstruction of Gaza and asked for support from Gulf countries, the U.S., and Europe for reconstruction. He said his first impressions on that matter were “not bad.” “They promised to take on roles for recovery,” he noted.
“Türkiye is the conscience of humanity and a great state. We extend our hands to the oppressed wherever they are in the world. Even when Israel continued its attacks, we dispatched our aid to the region. We filled the warehouses in Egypt with aid. Since the beginning of the cease-fire, 350 aid trucks have entered Gaza. Along with food, water and medicine, we deliver our hopes, our brotherhood (to Gazans),” he said.
Erdoğan said humanitarian aid, including materials for accommodation, was being swiftly delivered to the region. “We are working on how to end the impact of humanitarian disasters on people,” he said.
Erdoğan noted that despite “obstructions,” AFAD managed to store some 10,000 tents in the region for delivery to Gaza.
Erdoğan emphasized the urgency of reconstructing Gaza, particularly before winter sets in. He thanked Turkish organizations, including the Turkish Red Crescent, AFAD, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Health Ministry, for their efforts. “They coordinate aid with civic society organizations. We will not merely heal the wounds (in Gaza). We will build the future,” he said.
Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye’s city hospitals hosted the wounded from Gaza and other hospitals were ready to host more if “our Gazan brothers and sisters need.”
On Tuesday, Türkiye sent the 17th vessel as part of its “Goodness Ships” campaign to Gaza. The vessel, carrying around 900 tons of humanitarian aid materials, aims to meet the basic needs of Gazans. Officials, including Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, attended a ceremony to see off the ship from the port of Mersin in southern Türkiye. The ship will unload its cargo at Egypt’s Al-Arish Port, the first destination of humanitarian aid sent by sea to Gaza. The aid the vessel is carrying was collected with the efforts of AFAD and in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent. A total of 17 nongovernmental organizations contributed to the aid campaign. From Al Arish, the aid will be delivered to the Karem Abu Salem border crossing by trucks.
Among the aid are canned food and baby formula. Along with the vessels, Türkiye also delivered aid for Gaza via 14 flights under AFAD’s coordination.
“Gaza is now a giant rubble. People of Gaza are returning to where they were forcibly displaced from, but there are no houses, hospitals and schools left. There is barely any standing residential building,” Erdoğan told journalists. He hailed Türkiye as the country sending the most humanitarian aid to Gaza, totaling 102,000 tons.
He noted that Hamas and Israel agreed on the entry of at least 600 truckloads of aid to Gaza daily, and they were mobilized for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, while adding the importance of starting work on the reconstruction of Gaza based on a reconstruction plan approved by Arab and Muslim countries. He said substantial financial support was required for the swift implementation of the reconstruction plan, adding that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League were developing some steps to that extent.
Israel and the cease-fire
Erdoğan was cautiously optimistic about Israel’s compliance with the deal and underlined that it was essential that the United States should exert its influence on the Israeli administration “for thorough adherence to the deal.” The president said he wished that the summit in Sharm al-Sheikh would be a turning point in the “path to peace in the Middle East.” He noted that U.S. President Trump and other heads of state appreciated Türkiye’s contribution to negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a cease-fire.
“This agreement basically regulates a cease-fire. The only solution for this issue for us is the establishment of a State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, a sovereign, independent state with territorial integrity and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdoğan stressed. “Türkiye will continue working to achieve it,” he said.
Erdoğan lamented Israel’s “bad track record” in complying with cease-fire deals but expressed confidence that the U.S., in particular, and other influential actors would do what is necessary to force Israel to comply with the latest deal.
“At this point, it is necessary to boost efforts for a two-state solution. We would like to regard decisions to recognize Palestine by the United Kingdom, France and other Western countries as milestones on the path to a two-state solution,” he said. “Otherwise, all steps will not be complete,” he said.
Reminding his meetings with the French president and the U.K. prime minister, Erdoğan said the Palestinian cause, for the first time in years, dominated the agenda of humanity. “The Sumud flotilla, people wearing keffiyeh in remote parts of the world (in solidarity with Palestinians), are displays of common conscience against Israel’s cruelty. Calm in Gaza should not let the humanitarian front lapse into inaction,” Erdoğan warned.
The president said Israel’s notorious past of violation of the cease-fire forced them to act cautiously and warned that they always underlined that Israel would pay a hefty price if it reverted to genocide. “Past deals were not turned into action and this was in part due to Israel’s stance. Now we see a stronger, joint will. We saw it in Egypt. I believe Mr. Trump would continue to support the process he initiated. Nobody would consent to a return to the old days. This cease-fire is the fruit of conscience and the common sense of societies,” he said.
Erdoğan said Trump would be primarily responsible for monitoring Israel’s adherence to the cease-fire, and the U.S. president told him to stay in touch. “We will continue our talks. This diplomacy we established with Mr. Trump is crucial. All countries whose leaders came together in Egypt will be the guarantor for the prevalence of a climate of peace in the region,” he said.
Relations with Syria
Answering a question about the integration of the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG with the post-Assad Syrian army, a critical issue for Türkiye, Erdoğan said they remained in touch with Syria at every level. “We are determined to strengthen our cooperation with Syria to safeguard the gains of Syria and the region. We won’t abandon Mr. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his administration. We repeatedly warned SDF (a name for the body of forces in northeastern Syria dominated by YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK) not to make mistakes. We urged them to support Syria’s unity and integrity. We hope they will adopt a stance in line with this,” he said.
The YPG claims to represent Kurds in Syria and enjoyed U.S. support during the Syrian civil war under the pretext of fighting against Daesh. Ankara strongly opposed U.S. support of the YPG and, during the Baathist rule, carried out a cross-border military offensive to drive out the YPG from areas near its border. When the terrorist group started dragging its feet following the March deal with Damascus, which calls for its integration into the Syrian army, Ankara raised its voice again, implying that another military action may be carried out if the YPG remains a threat.
CHP’s ‘complaint’
On domestic politics, Erdoğan criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as its leader, Özgür Özel, used its rallies to protest the detention of its mayors abroad. Commenting on the CHP’s recent rally in Brussels, Erdoğan said this was “quite ordinary” for the CHP.
“They always sought assistance from abroad when the nation did not agree with them. Not even the administrative cadres of the CHP know what (Özel) plans. You see what happens in their municipalities,” Erdoğan said, implying corruption investigations against mayors of CHP-run municipalities and severe criticism for lack of public services that led to water shortages and heavy pollution in CHP strongholds.
“They organized a tour of complaint. It is shameful,” Erdoğan said, referring to Özel’s rally. After the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu on charges of corruption last March, Özel has sought support from the EU in another visit to Brussels to defend what he called a blow to democracy. The CHP has sought to portray the arrest of Imamoğlu and other mayors implicated with corruption charges as “politically motivated.” The government denies this and has reiterated that the judiciary acts independently and based on evidence, including testimonies of CHP members accusing mayors of taking bribes.
Erdoğan also said Özel failed to apologize for a CHP lawmaker’s insult directed at Turkish expatriates in Europe, during his recent visit, and moreover “had the president of Türkiye booed at.”
Damaged vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla are being repaired in Türkiye’s Antalya after an Israeli attack in international waters, with volunteers working to prepare the ships for another voyage toward Gaza.
Some of the vessels were left with damaged engines, broken masts and torn sails after the attack. They were later brought to Antalya, where local and international volunteers are carrying out repairs at a shipyard.
Two vessels have already been repaired and sent to Italy as part of preparations for another Gaza-bound mission, said Sümeyra Akdeniz Ordu, a board member of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
“We are trying to recover the ships drifting at sea one by one. We are carrying out a rescue mission,” Ordu told Anadolu Agency (AA). “We are repairing these ships so they can sail to Gaza again.”
Fourteen flotilla vessels are currently in Antalya, Ordu said, adding that volunteers from different countries were helping coordinate and repair the ships.
She said each vessel had a special significance for the activists and that they were treating the ships “like their own children” as they worked to restore them.
The damage was extensive, Ordu said, describing broken masts, damaged engines and cut hoses. She also said the sails had been torn with knives.
“The mast was broken, surface cleaner and coffee had been poured into the engines, and the hoses on each ship had been cut one by one,” she said. “They caused this damage by ramming them with larger ships.”
The repairs have been difficult because of the extent of the damage, but volunteers have continued working, Ordu said.
Türkiye has provided a safe port for the repair effort, she added.
Ordu said the activists remained determined to continue their efforts despite the damage to the vessels.
“If the enemy does not give up, we cannot give up,” she said. “We are trying to be a voice here for our Palestinian friends.”
She said the damage to the vessels showed what she described as the violence and hostility directed at the flotilla.
“We, too, insist on continuing every form of resistance,” Ordu said.
Türkiye condemned a drone attack on a power distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, reiterating its support for Saudi Arabia amid renewed regional tensions.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), condemned the attack on Friday, saying targeting infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque was unacceptable.
“Attacks targeting our sacred values are illegitimate acts directed against all Muslims,” Çelik said in a social media post, adding that Türkiye strongly supported Saudi Arabia’s security and stability.
The targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second-holiest site. The attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity network.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack, saying strikes targeting civilian infrastructure and threatening Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security should “cease immediately and unconditionally.”
The ministry reiterated Türkiye’s support for Saudi Arabia and called on parties to avoid steps that could further escalate tensions in the region.
“We reaffirm our strong support for Saudi Arabia and emphasize the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions in the region,” the statement said.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Friday separately condemned the strike and said Türkiye would continue to stand by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage indicated Houthi involvement in the Sept. 29 attack.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al Maliki said the targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the Muslim holy city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
Earlier on Thursday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, also condemned the attack on Medina.
The OIC described the targeting of vital infrastructure and facilities as “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites,” as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.
Bashiqa-Zilkan, a key Turkish base in Iraq, will soon be handed over to Iraqi authorities while Turkish troops are expected to withdraw from the country. The development, which comes amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, which remained there as part of an anti-Daesh coalition, signals the start of a new era for Iraq and Türkiye. The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday that the handover of the base did not mean an end to cooperation with Iraq and, on the contrary, Türkiye would continue supporting Iraq’s security and stability.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed earlier this month to deepen security cooperation, restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and begin the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Baghdad under an agreed timetable.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the steps in a joint statement following talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The ministry said Türkiye welcomed steps to ensure state authority in Sinjar. The base was set up in 2015 to help Iraq fight against Daesh and later maintained its presence when the terrorist group PKK sought to replace Daesh following the liberation of Sinjar.
“These steps will contribute to normalization of the region, establishing an environment of security and stability and a terror-free region,” the ministry said, using an expression referring to Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, which aims to disarm the PKK.
The statement also said it was decided to gradually hand over the compound to the central government in Baghdad, “based on improvement of security in Sinjar.”
“Our country, as it did in the past, stands with our neighbor Iraq in terms of maintaining an environment of security and stability. Throughout future contacts, we are planning to take steps that will further advance military and security cooperation. We will continue supporting Iraq’s armed forces in increasing military capacity, sharing know-how in counterterrorism and in the fields of military training and defense industry cooperation, based on bilateral agreements,” the ministry stated.
Ayhan Sarı, an assistant professor at the Turkish-German University and a security and foreign policy expert at the Turkish Research Foundation (TAV), noted that Türkiye’s withdrawal was linked to ending the PKK’s presence in Sinjar and the re-establishment of Baghdad’s authority there.
Sarı told Daily Sabah that Türkiye has been in Iraq as an exercise of its right to self-defense under international law, particularly Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right to individual and collective self-defense against armed attacks. “Türkiye’s presence in Iraq has been due to the PKK threat in the north. (The dissolution) of the PKK will remove the need to remain in Iraq,” Sarı said.
He noted that the PKK and other terrorist groups had, for years, filled the power vacuum that emerged in Iraq’s northern region following the beginning of the Iraq War.
“Iraq’s central government claims it can find a solution to this vacuum through recent steps and establish full authority within its borders after the U.S. withdrawal,” Sarı said.
A U.S.-led coalition deployed in Iraq more than a decade ago against Daesh formally concluded its mission on Wednesday. Daesh was largely expelled from Iraq and Syria, also thanks to Türkiye’s cross-border operations in Assad-era Syria, but U.S. forces remained. Washington and Baghdad reached an agreement two years ago to wind down the mission.
Sarı said it was only natural that Türkiye was supportive of Iraq’s steps to ensure security on its own, since Ankara was committed to developing good relations with its neighbors and centered its foreign policy on peace and stability.
“As it did in Syria, Türkiye sides with central authority, stability and security in Iraq. Türkiye will support this move and will do whatever it can to ensure that this mission succeeds in maintaining stability and security, based on its neighborly relations,” he said.
Sarı added that Iraq’s efforts were compatible with Türkiye’s foreign policy and plans. “Iraq’s success will also mean the complete expulsion of the PKK from that country. This expulsion, removal of this malignant tumor between Türkiye and Iraq, will certainly add momentum to Turkish-Iraqi relations,” he also stated.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new legislative year at the Turkish Parliament on Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed a law passed by Parliament on terror-free Türkiye, which involves the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK.
“Consensus on a terror-free Türkiye has upset the country’s foes. (Terror-free Türkiye) is already having a deterrent effect on Türkiye’s foes and is empowering the country,” Erdoğan said.
The president also urged other political parties to strengthen the “home front” amid regional tensions and reach a “grand Türkiye consensus.”
The Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration was approved by Parliament in August following months of political consultations over the government’s terror-free Türkiye initiative. The 12-article legislation received broad parliamentary backing, with 468 lawmakers voting in favor, 88 against and six abstaining. It mainly involves deferral of sentences and prosecution, as part of the initiative that paved the way for the dissolution of the PKK.
For decades, the PKK remained the main security threat for Türkiye, and its violent campaign is blamed for the deaths of thousands of people and immense economic losses, especially in southeastern Türkiye. Apart from small nationalist parties, almost all political parties openly supported the initiative, something rare in polarized Turkish politics.
“The era of opposition solely based on opposing what the government did is over. It is a grave mistake to reduce politics to antagonizing the rivals, to a war of attrition, instead of making it a race in offering the best public services. Regional and global developments require us to pursue a new style of politics,” Erdoğan told Parliament amid constant applause from lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The main opposition New Party (YP) left Parliament’s general assembly hall as Erdoğan took the floor.
“We have two options now: We will either continue with the old way of politics focusing on polarization, or we will build new politics based on finding common ground, finding consensus amid competition,” he said.
“If we are meant to make Türkiye great and strong again, if we are meant to utilize historic opportunities, we have to adapt to this paradigm shift altogether and without losing more time,” he said.
The president said they did not expect all political parties to fully align or have the same opinion.
“Different views are certainly the wealth of Türkiye, Turkish democracy. But all political parties should prioritize Türkiye. Every party should draw power from its own dynamics, its grassroots, to carry out ‘Türkiye-oriented politics,'” Erdoğan said.
“Reconciliation and tolerance should replace conflict and polarization. We have to find common ground on matters essential for every member of our nation. This is what we call the ‘grand Türkiye consensus,'” Erdoğan added.
New constitution
The president also focused on drafting a new constitution. “The goal of a new and civilian constitution is a struggle for Turkish democracy to prove its maturity. Our esteemed Parliament is competent and authorized to draft a constitution under all circumstances and in every period. A new constitution that will broaden Türkiye’s horizons will be the product not of a politics of polarization, but of a new politics based on competition within consensus. Our nation’s longing for a new constitution must not be held hostage by manufactured fears. Our position regarding the first four articles of the Constitution currently in force is clear. Rolling up our sleeves for a new and civilian constitution worthy of the ‘Century of Türkiye’ is a genuine test of sincerity for everyone. I hope the current legislative year will be a year of constitutional reform that expands Türkiye’s opportunities and potential,” he said.
Since the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, constitutional design has served as the backbone of the country’s legal system. The current Constitution, adopted in 1982, has been repeatedly amended over the decades, most notably in 2017, when a national referendum paved the way for the country’s transition from a parliamentary model to an executive presidential system.
Despite numerous amendments over the decades, replacing the 1982 Constitution with a new, civilian-drafted charter remains a prominent issue in Türkiye’s political debate.
Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş have repeatedly advocated for a new civilian constitution, arguing that the existing charter retains the legacy of military rule under which it was drafted despite extensive subsequent amendments.
Türkiye condemned Thursday a drone attack by Houthis on a power station in the Muslim holy city of Medina, reaffirming its support for Saudi Arabia.
The targeted facility supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second-holiest site. The attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity network.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack.
“We strongly condemn the Houthis’ attack on civilian infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“These provocative attacks, which threaten Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security and target the sacred values of the Islamic world, must cease immediately and unconditionally,” it said.
Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the Muslim holy city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions.
“We reaffirm our strong support for Saudi Arabia and emphasize the need to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions in the region,” the statement said.
Earlier Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, also condemned the attack on Medina.
The OIC described the targeting of vital infrastructure and facilities as “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of holy sites,” as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.
The organization affirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia in measures taken to protect its territory, security and stability, defend Islamic holy sites and safeguard citizens and residents.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said the drone attack constituted “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its security and stability.”
The Saudi-led coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.
Houthis denied the accusation.
The latest escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a U.N.-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to push back the Houthis.
Turkish authorities detained Eyüpsultan Mayor Mithat Bülent Özmen and 27 other suspects earlier Friday as part of a corruption investigation involving the Istanbul district municipality, prosecutors said.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said detention orders were issued for 28 suspects over allegations including membership in a criminal organization, receiving and giving bribes and bid rigging.
All 28 suspects were detained in simultaneous operations carried out by financial crimes police, according to the prosecutor’s office. Authorities also conducted searches and seizures at addresses linked to the suspects and searched the Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run Eyüpsultan Municipality building.
Prosecutors said the investigation was being conducted in coordination with the Ankara Police Department’s Financial Crimes Investigation Branch.
“The investigation continues in a comprehensive and meticulous manner,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Özmen, who serves as mayor of Istanbul’s Eyüpsultan district, was among those taken into custody.
The detentions are part of an ongoing investigation, and no court has ruled on the allegations against the suspects.
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