Turkey Excluded from Gaza Stabilisation Force

Strategic Insights -

Turkey is unlikely to participate in the 5,000-strong multinational force set to stabilize Gaza after Israel expressed discomfort with Turkish troops taking part. The move is seen as contentious given Turkey's status as a guarantor of the Trump 20-point ceasefire agreement and its reputation as one of the most capable Muslim armed forces.

Key Takeaways:

  • The exclusion of Turkey from the stabilisation force is a significant development, considering Turkey is a guarantor of the Trump 20-point ceasefire plan and its forces are regarded as one of the most capable Muslim armies.
  • Israel has expressed discomfort with Turkish troops participating in the force, citing concerns over Turkey's relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
  • The force, which will be led by Egypt, aims to disarm Hamas and secure a transitional Palestinian government, but its formation is still being contested.
  • The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ruled out Palestinian Authority involvement in post-war Gaza, although Palestinian factions have agreed on an independent committee of technocrats to take over the running of the strip.
  • A delegation from Hamas and its rival, Fatah, met in Egypt to discuss post-war arrangements in Gaza and agreed to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent technocrats.
  • Turkey's disaster response specialists sent to help locate Palestinian and Israeli bodies inside Gaza remain near Egypt's border with the strip, awaiting Israeli authorisation to enter.
  • The UN humanitarian agency OCHA's head, Tom Fletcher, compared Gaza to the ruins of Hiroshima, Stalingrad, or Dresden after a recent visit.
  • The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, stated that a UN security council mandate for the stabilisation force is not feasible, citing the need for Israel's comfort with the nationality of the force.
  • The Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC), led by the US, is coordinating aid initiatives in Gaza, but key aid crossings remain closed.

Statistics:

  • 5,000-strong multinational force to be set up in Gaza.
  • 600 aid trucks were due to enter Gaza daily under the Trump ceasefire plan, but the daily average has been 89 trucks since the agreement.
  • 14% of the agreed aid amount has been delivered.
  • 81-member team from Turkey's AFAD disaster management authority waiting to enter Gaza with life-detection devices and trained search dogs.
  • 20-point Trump ceasefire plan.
  • 89 average trucks entering Gaza daily since the agreement.

Sources:

  • Marco Rubio, US secretary of state
  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president
  • Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister
  • Unrwa
  • Tom Fletcher, head of the UN humanitarian agency OCHA
  • Emirati advisers
  • British, French, Jordanian, and Emirati advisers in the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC)
  • Joint US-Israeli opposition to Unrwa
  • Norway, initiator of the action at the UN general assembly that led to the ICJ opinion
  • International Court of Justice (ICJ)
  • BBC