Turkey Announces Its Army's Readiness to Participate in Any Mission in the Gaza Strip

SadaNews - The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced today (Friday) that its armed forces are "ready to undertake any mission assigned to them" as part of a peacekeeping operation in the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip.

A Turkish Ministry of Defense official, in response to a question from reporters, stated, "Our armed forces, which have extensive experience in enforcing and maintaining peace, are ready to take on any role that is requested of them."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed on Thursday that his country wishes to participate in any "mission" to monitor the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified in statements made late Thursday in Paris that "a team consisting of the United States, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar will play the role of facilitator, tasked with following up on the implementation details of the agreement and discussing them with both parties," meaning Israel and the Hamas movement, adding that these countries will act as "mediators."

The Israeli government approved an agreement for a ceasefire with the Hamas movement early Friday morning, paving the way for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza within 72 hours.

For his part, Khalil Hayya, head of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, stated on Thursday that the movement has received "guarantees from the brother mediators and the U.S. administration, all confirming that the war has completely ended."