Türkiye expects same step from Israel as Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal

Türkiye has welcomed a ceasefire proposal Palestinian group Hamas announced it has agreed to, adding that it expects the same step to be taken by Israel, said the country’s president.

“We welcome Hamas’ announcement that it accepted a ceasefire deal in Gaza with our efforts, and the same step should be taken by Israel,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday after a Cabinet meeting.

Erdogan also urged “Western actors” to pressure the Israeli government to accept the ceasefire deal.

Türkiye has repeatedly pressed for a ceasefire in Gaza since the early days of the conflict, some seven months ago, and has called on all countries worldwide to help make a deal happen.

Turkish President holds a phone call with Haniyeh

Before the cabinet meeting, Turkish President Erdogan held a phone conversation with Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Evaluating Hamas' acceptance of a ceasefire proposal mediated by intermediaries, discussions during the call primarily centred around efforts to halt the ongoing conflict and violence in Gaza, the Turkish President expressed in a post he shared on X on Monday.

He conveyed to Haniyeh that he welcomed Hamas' decision, influenced by Türkiye's counsel, emphasising the necessity for Israel to take concrete steps towards a lasting ceasefire.

Calling upon Western nations and all involved parties, Erdogan urged increased pressure on Israel to pursue an end to hostilities.

'As long as PKK finds a lifeline in Iraq, Syria, we will not feel safe'

In his speech after the cabinet meeting, Erdogan also reiterated Türkiye’s determination to fight terrorism in the region “until we dry out the terrorism swamp in northern Iraq,” referring to the presence there of the terrorist PKK.

Turning to the PKK’s Syrian branch, the YPG/PKK, he added: “We will complete our work in (northern) Syria when the time comes, despite the unkept promises of our allies. We will strike a blow to the separatist organisation. As long as PKK finds a lifeline in Iraq and Syria, we will not feel safe.”

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

Gaza war

Israel has pounded Palestine's Gaza after a cross-border attack on October 7 last year by the Palestinian group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85 percent of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.