President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday hailed the peace deal between Israel and Hamas and thanked all involved to secure the cease-fire.
Erdoğan also said that Türkiye would join a task force to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire that began on Thursday.
"We are greatly pleased with the achievement of the cease-fire. It is crucial to achieve humanitarian aid access to Gaza and the exchange of prisoners now," Erdoğan told an event to mark the start of the new academic year at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
"Türkiye will join the task force to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire," he added.
The agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas early Thursday in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump, and has already taken effect. Trump said Israeli hostages will be released "very soon" and Israeli forces would withdraw to an "agreed-upon line" as the first step for peace.
The plan includes the release of all Israeli captives, living or dead, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, governance of Gaza by a transitional committee and its rebuilding. The deal was announced after days of negotiations between Israel and Hamas in the Red Sea city. Qatar and Türkiye had joined the mediation efforts in Egypt, with National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın representing Türkiye.
Although Ankara is warm toward any effort to end what it calls Israel's genocide of Palestinians, it pursues a policy for a lasting solution, namely, the establishment of a sovereign State of Palestine and an end to Israel's expansionist policies across the region.
Erdoğan said he was delighted with "good news from Sharm el-Sheikh."
"We have been endeavoring to end the bloodshed in Gaza for a long time and for the establishment of a cease-fire. We attended a Gaza-themed meeting with (U.S. President) Mr. Trump in New York and talked about it again during our talks at White House," he said, referring to his visit to the United States last month, where he attended the U.N. General Assembly.
"Mr. Trump then announced his peace plan, and Hamas expressed its readiness. Thankfully, the deal is signed today," he said.
The president underlined Türkiye's active contribution to the deal. "Now it is crucial to ensure immediate, comprehensive humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners, the immediate cessation of Israel's attacks and a subsequent withdrawal. We will meticulously follow the implementation of the agreed parts of the plan. Türkiye will participate in the joint task force, which will monitor the implementation of the cease-fire in the field," he stressed.
"We will support reconstruction efforts together with the international community to help Gaza rise again. Our goal is to stop the genocide and bring peace to the region as soon as possible. The people of Gaza deserve peace, security and stability more than anyone else in the world. After two years, we are determined to do whatever it takes to ensure the smiles returning to the faces of Gaza’s oppressed people, especially its innocent children, never fade. I thank U.S. President Donald Trump for showing strong leadership in encouraging the Israeli government to agree to a cease-fire. I also express my gratitude to Qatar and Egypt for their significant contributions to reaching this agreement. I wholeheartedly congratulate the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas for its steadfast and prudent stance. I commend the negotiation team and all the actors who played a facilitative role throughout the process, and I thank them as well. Despite two years of barbarity, oppression, massacres and genocide, I salute the Palestinian brothers and sisters who have remained resilient and steadfast with unwavering dignity.
"Türkiye will stand with the Palestinian people today, tomorrow and always, and will never abandon them. I pray that this agreement brings goodness to the Palestinian people," he concluded.
Erdoğan is among the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause, especially after the new round of Palestine-Israel conflict that broke out two years ago. Likewise, the Turkish public regularly stages pro-Palestinian rallies and mostly endorses the government's efforts for peace in the region.
