Erdogan says US, others must press Israel to abide by Gaza ceasefire

ANKARA — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop what he said were violations of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting of arms sales.

NATO member Turkey, one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, has joined the ceasefire negotiations as a mediator after largely indirect involvement. Its increased role followed a meeting last month between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Israel has been very wary of the involvement of Turkey and its leader Erdogan, who has compared Israel throughout the war to Nazi Germany, repeatedly accused it of genocide and embraced the Hamas terror group as freedom fighters.

“As Turkey, we are doing our utmost for the ceasefire to be secured. The Hamas side is abiding by the ceasefire. In fact, it is openly stating its commitment to this. Israel, meanwhile, is continuing to violate the ceasefire,” Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from a regional Gulf tour.

“The international community, namely the United States, must do more to ensure Israel’s full compliance with the ceasefire and agreement,” he said, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office on Friday.

“Israel must be forced to keep its promises via sanctions, halting of arms sales.”

Ankara has said that it would join a “task force” to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire, that its armed forces could serve in a military or civilian capacity as needed, and that it would play an active role in the reconstruction of the enclave.

Israel is strongly opposed to close Turkish involvement in Gaza, while Trump has pushed for Ankara’s inclusion.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to Israel aimed at shoring up the ceasefire, said on Friday that a planned international security force for Gaza would have to be made up of “countries that Israel’s comfortable with,” but declined to comment specifically on Turkey’s involvement.

Erdogan said talks on the issue were still underway.

“Talks are continuing on the task force that will work in Gaza. The modalities of this are not yet clear. As this is a multifaceted issue, there are comprehensive negotiations. We are ready to provide Gaza with any form of support on this issue,” he said.

He also reiterated a previous call for Gulf countries to take action now on financing efforts to rebuild Gaza, saying nobody could single-handedly complete this task.