Erdoğan calls for lasting cease-fire in Gaza as Türkiye joins talks

Speaking to journalists during a return flight from Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Erdoğan said in remarks published on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump requested them to persuade Hamas to agree upon a peace plan.

“Our priority is an immediate, lasting cease-fire,” Erdoğan stated. He noted that Hamas was ready for peace and further negotiations.

The president underlined that Türkiye has a resolute stance on the Palestinian cause and has worked for years to end the bloodshed and ensure the safety of the oppressed. “Entire Palestine knows that Türkiye protects Palestine’s interests. We see rights of oppressed Palestinians as rights of our own and defend them that way,” he said.

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. The president stated that they have been in touch with Hamas, and they conveyed to them what the most reasonable way forward is and what steps should be taken for a better future for Palestine. “Our colleagues are in Sharm al-Sheikh and engage in talks,” he said, referring to intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın’s participation in peace talks in the Egyptian resort city.

The president mentioned his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly and a recent phone call with Trump, saying that he explained methods for resolving the conflict. “He asked us to convince Hamas, and we contacted our counterparts in return. I told Mr. Trump that we supported his peace efforts,” he said.

“Hamas is ready for peace and negotiations. It did not adopt a rhetoric against it. I think this is valuable. Hamas has the upper hand here. They lost so many people, and their residences were devastated. They don’t have any place to live. On the other hand, Israel has not exhibited a constructive approach. We wouldn’t expect it from them anyway,” said Erdoğan, who is a fervent critic of the Netanyahu administration and has likened it to Nazis in the past.

Erdoğan said that the priority in the peace plan for Gaza is achieving a cease-fire and ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches the area uninterrupted. Highlighting the urgent need to deliver aid to Gaza, Erdoğan said: “Restoring Gaza’s infrastructure, destroyed by Israeli attacks, as soon as possible is also among our priorities. We are conducting intense diplomatic efforts for this.”

He stressed the importance of Gaza remaining Palestinian territory and ultimately being governed by Palestinians.

Regarding how Gaza’s security will be maintained and the operation of an international stabilization force, Erdoğan said these issues could be discussed in detail, pointing to ongoing talks in Sharm el-Sheikh.

“The talks started today, but tomorrow’s sessions are very important. The outcome of these talks is of great significance,” Erdoğan said. He added that his support for all efforts was made with these possibilities in mind. “We hope Israel keeps its promises and does not take steps to sabotage peace. While we are hopeful for a lasting cease-fire and peace, we remain cautious,” Erdoğan said.

Sumud flotilla

The Turkish leader also commented on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted illegally by Israel, and hailed activists for “making the illegal blockade on Gaza visible.” Türkiye scheduled a flight for 137 activists, including 36 Turkish citizens, last week after the incident, while Turkish prosecutors launched a probe into Israel’s illegal detention of activists. On Tuesday, 16 other activists, including 14 Turkish citizens, were repatriated from Israel via Jordan.

Erdoğan lauded the flotilla’s accomplishment of “breaking the blockade.” “This is what really matters,” he said. Erdoğan cited that Türkiye closely followed the flotilla en route to Gaza. “I personally watched how it sailed through footage by our Akıncı drones,” he said. Activists have commended Türkiye’s support during their journey, especially by flying drones and sending naval ships for the protection of the flotilla against Israel’s harassment.

The president said Israel trampled on international laws by intercepting the flotilla. “We worked hard to save our citizens and citizens of other countries aboard the flotilla from the hands of Israel. We managed the evacuation in a short time. My daughter was among those welcoming them at the airport,” he said, referring to Sumeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM), who greeted the evacuated activists in Istanbul. He noted that the activists were interviewed and had medical examinations in Istanbul, “to keep a legal record of what happened,” adding that it would contribute to Türkiye’s fight on legal and diplomatic grounds to document Israel’s rights violations.

Anniversary of genocide

Erdoğan also commented on the second anniversary of the Gaza “catastrophe.”

“67,000 Gazans have been martyred. On the other hand, more than 169,000 have been wounded. But there is something even more striking. I am told that these numbers are not accurate. Given the sheer number of those buried under the rubble, the figures are estimated to be around 600,000. Despite this, humanity remains silent and nothing has been done to stop it,” he said.

“Israel’s attacks will go down as a dark stain in history. What Israel has done is not self-defense; it is a planned genocide and terrorism. The massacres carried out by Israel openly and recklessly and those who ignore them, have entered the shameful records of human history. There is no excuse for this. While Israel kills babies, targets hospitals, ambulances, marketplaces, refugee tents, U.N. missions, schools and places of worship, those who try to justify this with ‘but’ and ‘however’ will not be able to explain this stance to future generations. History records both those who stand on the right side and those who persist in wrongdoing. It is clear who stood where during the Nazi genocide. Those who ignored genocides in Bosnia and other regions are also known. Our generation remembers them well. Just as they feel shame today, those who remain silent on the Gaza genocide will face a similar fate tomorrow. We take pride in standing on the right side of history, both yesterday and today.”

Syria’s stability

Commenting on the situation in neighboring Syria, where the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG reached a tentative cease-fire with Damascus, Erdoğan said they would not allow Syria to relapse into instability and urged the YPG to honor its early deal for integration with Syrian security forces.

Syrian security forces on Monday reached a cease-fire agreement with the SDF, dominated by the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG, in western Aleppo province following recent clashes.

YPG members launched assaults around Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, prompting authorities to seal off roads leading to the area.

The fighting intensified after members of the YPG, the Syrian wing of the terrorist group PKK, attacked Syrian security forces in Sheikh Maqsoud using heavy weapons and targeted the Rahman Mosque area in the nearby Syrian neighborhood with mortar fire.

Tensions have escalated in northern Syria following the ouster of Bashar Assad last December, ending his 24-year rule and the Baath Party’s six-decade dominance. Assad fled to Russia amid mounting public unrest and military defections. The government, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa since January, has vowed to reassert control across the country and eliminate remaining terrorist threats. Officials say the latest PKK/YPG assaults underscore ongoing challenges to achieving stability in the region.

Although a deal was signed between al-Sharaa and the YPG in March, implementation has yet to be seen. The deal involves integration of the terrorist group’s members into the Syrian army, but calls for decentralization by YPG leaders, endangering the process. Damascus rejects a self-styled autonomy in the northeast for the group. Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani, who was scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan later on Wednesday in Ankara, is expected to discuss this issue.

Türkiye is concerned about the existence of the YPG on its immediate border, especially after attacks by the terrorist group during Syria’s civil war. It supports Damascus’ efforts to dissolve the group peacefully and has repeatedly warned it may carry out a military offensive as it did during the Assad era to weed out the terror threat.

“Those turning their face to Ankara and Damascus will win,” Erdoğan said, adding that a Turkish-Kurdish-Arabic alliance is key to peace in the region. “No one should fall for provocation, no one should harbor misguided intentions,” he said. “The Syrian Democratic Forces should fulfill its promise and complete the integration. If acted with the spirit of shared history and future, many issues may be resolved,” he said.

Erdoğan also spoke about Türkiye’s exclusion from the U.S. F-35 program and said the removal was not legitimate.