Hamas showing it is ready for peace: Erdoğan
ISTANBUL
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday welcomed Hamas's positive reaction to a peace deal proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, and said the group was "ready for peace."
"Hamas has shown, as it has done many times before, that it is ready for peace. Thus, a window of opportunity has opened for lasting peace in our region," Erdoğan told a ceremony in Istanbul.
He emphasized the importance of Israel halting its attacks immediately to prevent the budding hopes of peace from fading.
Erdoğan said that he had discussed the issue in detail with Trump, evaluating necessary steps for peace.
Following that, he dispatched the head of Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to Qatar and the foreign minister to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
"The most important agenda of our phone conversation with Mr. Trump last night was again Gaza—to bring peace and stability to Gaza," he added.
Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye's commitment: "If all parties act with a sense of responsibility, it is quite possible to stop the bloodshed and establish peace. We will continue to do whatever is necessary as Türkiye so that not a single innocent person dies and the faces of Gazan children smile."
Addressing the Global Sumud Flotilla, Erdoğan noted: "We are also bringing the hope passengers of the Global Sumud Flotilla to our country. In one hour, at Istanbul Airport, not only those from Türkiye in the Sumud Flotilla, but also some Sumud passengers from Malaysia and different countries will take their places in the arriving group. They will have landed in Istanbul in one hour."
He prayed for Gaza to attain peace and conveyed solidarity to the oppressed there, affirming Türkiye's ongoing support.
Earlier on Friday, Trump set a deadline for Hamas to approve his plan by 6 p.m. Washington time (2200 GMT) on Sunday.
The proposal aims to transform Gaza into a weapons-free zone under a transitional governance system directly overseen by Trump through a new international monitoring body.
It calls for the release of all Israeli captives held by Hamas within 72 hours of approval, in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The plan also requires an end to hostilities, the disarmament of armed groups in Gaza, and Israel's phased withdrawal from the enclave, which would then be managed by a technocratic authority supervised by a U.S.-led international entity.
Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza—home to about 2.4 million people—for nearly 18 years, intensifying it in March by closing border crossings and halting food and medicine supplies, driving the territory toward famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have claimed nearly 66,300 Palestinian lives, predominantly women and children.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly cautioned that Gaza is becoming uninhabitable, with starvation and disease rampant amid mass displacement.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry also welcomed the decision on Saturday, stating that Hamas's response would pave the way for lasting peace in the region.
The Palestinian group's reply will "enable the urgent establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza, the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, and the steps needed to achieve lasting peace," the ministry said.
It called on all parties to begin negotiations for an immediate ceasefire and to advance a two-state solution supported by the international community.
"Israel must immediately cease its attacks on the people of Gaza," it added.The ministry affirmed that Ankara will continue to back the talks and offer constructive contributions.
