Gaza should be governed by Gazans, Fidan tells Miami talks

WASHINGTON

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said one of the most critical issues in efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas is ensuring that Gaza is governed by Palestinians, following talks with other mediators in the United States.

Fidan said the issue was discussed during a meeting in Miami with top officials from Qatar and Egypt, along with Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy. The meeting reviewed the first phase of a ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10.

“It is important that the four mediating countries, Türkiye, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, continue high-level consultations on this issue as intensively as possible,” Fidan told Turkish media after the talks on Dec. 17.

Fidan described the agreements reached at the meeting as “promising,” outlining what he called Türkiye's three red lines regarding Gaza’s future.

“As Türkiye, we stated that three parameters are important for us in all work to be done regarding Gaza. The first is that Gaza should be governed by Gazans, the second is that Gaza should not be divided in any way as territory and the third is that everything done in Gaza should be done for Gazans,” he said.

“We conveyed our general political strategic framework that, as long as these three red lines are observed, other issues can be discussed within a technical platform," he added.

He said the mediators discussed scheduling the transfer of Gaza’s administration to a committee of technocrats, as part of broader efforts to stabilize the enclave.

Fidan also warned that ceasefire violations were threatening the peace plan, placing particular blame on Israel.

“The ongoing violations by Israel are making the process incredibly difficult,” he said.

“What we see is that all parties are in agreement on this issue, and we have had various discussions on how to prevent this,” he added.

The minister said humanitarian aid and shelter for Palestinians in Gaza were also discussed, particularly as winter weather worsens conditions in the territory. He noted that Türkiye's experience responding to the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 could be applied in Gaza.

The Miami meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement. Gaza's civil defense said six people were killed on Dec. 19 in Israeli shelling of a shelter, bringing to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect.

Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the truce, with the military reporting three of their soldiers killed in the territory since October.

A statement after the talks cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

Meanwhile, Türkiye's intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın met with a Hamas delegation in Istanbul led by Khalil al-Hayya, the head of the group’s negotiation team.

According to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency, the Hamas delegation briefed Kalın on Israeli violations of the ceasefire, and the two sides evaluated steps to prevent further breaches.

The report said consultations also focused on conditions required to move to the second phase of the peace plan and measures to resolve outstanding issues.