Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey would join a “working group” tasked with overseeing the implementation of a newly reached ceasefire in Gaza, positioning Ankara as a key player in both negotiations and enforcement.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that the group — comprising Turkey, Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt — will also work to locate the remains of Israeli hostages killed in Gaza whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Turkey participated in the ceasefire talks held in Egypt and has been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which Erdogan has repeatedly described as genocide.
“God willing, Turkey will be part of the group monitoring the agreement on the ground,” Erdogan said in Ankara, adding that Turkey would also take part in Gaza’s reconstruction.
He underscored Turkey’s importance in the peace process, recalling his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House and in a follow-up call.
It was not immediately clear whether Erdogan was referring to the same working group mentioned in Trump’s proposed plan for “stabilization forces” to oversee post-ceasefire arrangements.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the Cairo talks, conveying Ankara’s proposals to Hamas on implementing the agreement. Turkey considers Hamas a resistance movement.
Erdogan said Trump had asked him to help persuade Hamas to accept the plan. In a post on X, Erdogan said he was “very pleased” that talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, with Turkey’s contribution, had led to the ceasefire, thanking Trump for his “political will to push Israel toward a truce,” as well as Qatar and Egypt.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it expects the renewed diplomatic momentum to lead to a two-state solution and that Ankara would closely monitor the deal’s implementation “to end the genocide in Gaza.”
“With the ceasefire in effect, it is essential that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza immediately and that reconstruction begins without delay,” the ministry said, adding that Turkey would continue sending humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.