Turkiye to host meeting on Gaza ceasefire, stability force

ANKARA: Foreign ministers of some Muslim countries will meet in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and next steps there, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, voicing concern over whether the ceasefire will continue.

Read more: Hamas, other groups agree to hand Gaza to technocrat committee

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Fidan said the gathering would include foreign ministers of countries represented at a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York in September — a gathering that later led to the Gaza peace plan.

That meeting, to discuss the situation in Gaza, was attended by Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Read more: Muslim leaders for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction, stabilisation

“The topics being discussed currently are how to proceed to the second stage, the stability force,” Fidan said, a reference to the temporary international stabilization force envisaged under the Gaza peace plan.

OBSTACLES

Fidan told reporters that the Istanbul meeting would “evaluate our progress and discuss what we can achieve together in the next stage”.

Read more: Gaza security force to include countries Israel ‘comfortable with’: US

However, he noted that there were a number of issues that needed to be addressed at the meeting.

“What are the obstacles to its implementation? What are the challenges to be faced? What are the next steps? What will we be discussing with our Western friends? And what support is there for the ongoing talks with the United States?”

NETANYAHU LOOKING FOR EXCUSES

In this connection, Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “looking for a pretext to violate the ceasefire (in Gaza) and relaunch the genocide under the eyes of the whole world”.

Turkiye sent an 81-strong disaster response team to Gaza a week ago to help with search and rescue operations.

But it is still waiting at the border for Israeli approval to enter the Palestinian territory, said Fidan.

However, he said that the foreign ministry was still “working intensively” and its army was discussing the possibility of joining the international force to oversee the ceasefire.

DAR INVITED

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad said Fidan had invited his counterpart Ishaq Dar to attend the meeting of these eight nations.

“The two leaders discussed the evolving situation in Gaza, and the next steps and modalities for achieving lasting peace in Palestine,” it added.