Türkiye says Israeli violations complicate Gaza peace efforts

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Saturday that Israel's violations are complicating efforts to advance the Gaza peace plan, following high-level discussions in the U.S. with officials from Egypt and Qatar.

The U.S., Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar convened talks on Friday in Miami to address the Gaza situation.Fidan, representing the Turkish side, spoke to reporters about the Gaza-focused meeting and his related engagements.

He noted that significant time has elapsed since the Gaza Peace Plan's implementation, initiated from the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement.

“Now, since the first phase has been completed following the release of the last hostage, the parameters for moving to the second phase are being discussed. Now, perhaps after Sharm el-Sheikh, yesterday’s [Dec. 19] meeting was the most important one. Frankly, we continued our meetings in various formats and settings until late last night,” Fidan said.

Describing the session as promising, he said the parties reviewed challenges from the first phase in detail.

“Especially as Türkiye, we clearly stated that ceasefire violations (by Israel) are endangering the peace plan and creating major risks for transitioning to the second phase. The ongoing violations by Israel, in particular, are making the process incredibly more difficult. What we see is that all parties are in agreement on this issue, and we also had various discussions on how to prevent this," Fidan explained.

“Among the issues we discussed yesterday regarding the transition to the second phase was a preliminary study for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was presented,” he highlighted.

“As Türkiye, we stated that three parameters are important for us in any work to be carried out regarding Gaza. First, Gaza must be governed by Gazans; second, Gaza must not be divided territorially in any way; and third, everything done in Gaza must be done for Gazans,” Fidan said.

He emphasized that substantial investment is planned for Gaza’s reconstruction, but it must directly benefit Gazans.

Fidan added that talks covered potential timelines for handing Gaza's administration to a technocrat committee, establishing a Peace Council and parallel negotiations on an International Stability Force.

“I think it was the most important meeting at the highest level since Sharm el-Sheikh,” he remarked.

Fidan underscored the priority of humanitarian aid, noting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's particular sensitivity to the matter.

Recalling Türkiye's response to the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people, where nearly 500,000 homes were built in three years, Fidan suggested applying that experience to Gaza.