Turkish FM: We must be realistic about our expectations for foreign Gaza force

DOHA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says “we should be realistic” regarding what to expect from the International Stabilization Force that US President Donald Trump’s administration is hoping to stand up at the beginning of 2026.

“When we define the mission of the ISF, we should be realistic and nuanced in expecting certain things from ISF because there are realities in the field,” Fidan says during an onstage panel discussion at the Doha Forum in Qatar.

The Turkish foreign minister doesn’t get into specifics, but appears to be referring to assertions by Israel that the ISF play an active role in the disarmament of Hamas — a demand that is said to concern many countries considering contributing troops to the force due to fears of clashes with Hamas fighters or of finding themselves in the middle of clashes between Gaza gunmen and Israeli forces.

While Turkey — one of the ceasefire mediators — has privately offered to contribute troops to the ISF, Israel has been adamant that it will not allow such a development, as Ankara has been one of the world’s leading critics of Jerusalem since the start of the war. Asked at the Doha Forum whether Turkey is prepared to contribute to the ISF, Fidan avoids answering directly but says that his country “is ready and willing to do whatever it takes for us to contribute to ongoing peace.”

Fidan then indicates that negotiations regarding the standing up of the ISF are still in their early stages, with many key questions left unanswered.

“There is a big discussion taking place [on] how to form [the ISF], what [will be] the specific mission statements and what will be the rules of engagement,” he says, adding that the list of contributing countries is still not final, along with the command structure.

“Our first objective in deploying the ISF is to separate Palestinians from the Israelis on [the] borderline. This will be our main objective. Then we can address the other remaining issues,” Fidan continues, apparently referring to the Gaza border, as opposed to the Yellow Line, which was the demarcator set up as part of the October 10 ceasefire that leaves Israel in control of the eastern half of Gaza.

He notes that the ISF will work alongside a vetted and trained Palestinian police force, along with a Palestinian governing body, which will be overseen by the Board of Peace, headed by US President Donald Trump. “All these organs supposedly will work together in a synchronized manner.”