Turkey Considers Sending Troops to Gaza Stabilization Force

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced Sunday that Ankara is actively evaluating whether to deploy Turkish forces to a proposed international stabilization mission in Gaza, signaling a new phase of regional involvement following the recent ceasefire accord.

Speaking after the G20 summit in South Africa, Erdogan said that a final decision would follow continued discussions, emphasizing Turkey’s intent to support the implementation of the peace framework signed in Egypt a deal to which Turkey is a signatory.

As a NATO member and regional power, Turkey has positioned itself as a key player in the post-war Gaza arrangement. Erdogan has expressed consistent interest in joining the planned international force tasked with securing borders, protecting civilians, and overseeing humanitarian operations in the Strip.

While Turkey’s involvement could offer strategic weight to the stabilization mission, Erdogan also used the platform to repeat inflammatory rhetoric, accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza a charge Israel firmly rejects. Jerusalem maintains that its operations have been lawful acts of self-defense following Hamas’s brutal October 7 attacks.

Despite these tensions, Ankara’s military participation would require coordination with other international partners, particularly given the sensitive operational terrain and the need for cooperation with Israel and Egypt.

As plans for the international stabilization force take shape endorsed last week in UN Security Council Resolution 2803 Israel has stressed that any foreign presence in Gaza must be vetted carefully to prevent friction, maintain security, and ensure Hamas’s military dismantling.

Turkey’s potential inclusion adds a new dimension to the regional calculus, especially as Erdogan seeks to position his country as both mediator and guarantor in a fragile post-conflict order.

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