Israel Rejects Presence of Turkish Armed Forces in Gaza, Says Foreign Minister

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has declared that Israel will not accept the deployment of Turkish armed forces in Gaza under the U.S. plan aimed at bringing a permanent end to the conflict in the Palestinian territories. He made the statement on Monday (October 27).

Under the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, an international force is expected to be deployed in Gaza to help uphold a fragile ceasefire that began earlier this month.

Speaking at a press conference in Budapest, Sa’ar said it remains unclear whether Arab and other countries are willing to contribute troops to such an international force.

“Any country that wishes or is ready to send armed forces must, at the very least, demonstrate fair treatment toward Israel,” he said.

Relations between Turkey and Israel, once warm, have sharply deteriorated during the ongoing Gaza war, particularly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly condemned Israel’s military actions in the enclave.

During his talks with his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó, Sa’ar said:

“Under President Erdoğan’s leadership, Turkey has adopted a hostile stance toward Israel. Therefore, allowing its armed forces to enter the Gaza Strip would be unreasonable and unacceptable to us. We have conveyed this position clearly to our American friends.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has ruled out the possibility of deploying U.S. troops in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signaled that he would strongly oppose any Turkish security presence in Gaza under the proposed international arrangement.