President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday arrived in Egypt to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit on Gaza and reaffirm Ankara’s commitment to diplomacy and humanitarian relief as it plays a key role.
He was welcomed at the airport by Egypt’s Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhy, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Cairo Salih Mutlu Şen, and embassy staff.
Accompanying the president are Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and Akif Çağatay Kılıç, his chief adviser on foreign policy and security.
Erdoğan attends the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the recently reached cease-fire agreement in Gaza.
He is expected to deliver an address at the summit and hold consultations with participating world leaders.
Within this scope, Erdoğan met with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to diplomatic sources speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), mediators the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and likely Türkiye would sign a guarantee document during the summit.
Trump on Sunday praised Türkiye’s role in efforts to secure a cease-fire deal in Gaza, describing Erdoğan as “fantastic” and emphasizing Ankara’s influence in the region.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is seen with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct.13, 2025 (AA Photo)
“Türkiye was fantastic too. President Erdoğan was fantastic. He really helped a lot, because he’s very respected. He’s got a very powerful nation. He’s got a very, very powerful military. And he helped a lot,” Trump told reporters en route to the Middle East ahead of an international peace conference on the Gaza cease-fire.
Similarly, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also praised Türkiye’s efforts for Gaza on Monday.
The summit, co-chaired by Trump and ei-Sissi, aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” according to Cairo.
Since the escalation of violence in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Türkiye has emerged as one of the most active countries supporting the Palestinian people through large-scale humanitarian relief, diplomatic mediation and calls for accountability under international law.
From massive aid deliveries and patient evacuations to shuttle diplomacy led by senior officials, Ankara has sustained its efforts for nearly two years while insisting that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through a two-state solution.
Türkiye’s humanitarian campaign for Gaza has been described by officials as one of the largest in the country’s history. According to data from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), more than 101,000 tons of aid have been delivered since the beginning of the conflict.
Sixteen cargo ships and 14 aircraft carried supplies including 25,000 tons of food, 3,000 tons of drinking water, tens of thousands of tents, blankets and hygiene kits, as well as 247 tons of medical equipment.
The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) and dozens of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), have distributed hot meals, set up mobile kitchens and provided shelter materials to hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians inside the enclave.
Medical support has been a central pillar of the response. Since late 2023, Türkiye has airlifted over 430 wounded or ill Gazans and their carers to Turkish hospitals for treatment, while sending field hospitals, ambulances and medicine to the region.
Turkish doctors working under state and NGO programs have continued to assist in overstretched health facilities such as the Al-Aqsa and Al-Ahli Hospitals.
Alongside aid operations, Türkiye has pursued an intense diplomatic agenda aimed at halting hostilities and facilitating humanitarian access.
Erdoğan and Fidan have maintained constant contact with regional and international counterparts, including Egypt, Qatar and the U.S., to push for cease-fire terms acceptable to all sides.
Ankara welcomed each temporary truce, emphasizing that a cessation of bloodshed must be followed by sustained humanitarian relief and reconstruction. Türkiye has also declared readiness to contribute personnel to any future international mission supervising a cease-fire or rebuilding Gaza’s infrastructure.
Most recently, the Defense Ministry said the Turkish army is ready to take part in any mission to ensure and protect peace in Gaza, following a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said Ankara will provide technical expertise for implementing the truce, overseeing the safe return of displaced residents and coordinating the rebuilding of essential services.
At international platforms, Ankara has repeatedly condemned Israeli attacks on civilian areas and restrictions on aid entry, describing them as violations of humanitarian law. Türkiye has backed legal efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and voiced full support for the recognition of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The government suspended trade with Israel earlier this year in protest of continued attacks and the obstruction of aid convoys, while urging other nations to apply similar pressure.
Last year, Ankara also joined a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), launched by South Africa, over its war crimes in Gaza.
Parliament has also been working to contribute to ending Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Last week, the Parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted a motion condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition in international waters, calling it a “shameful assault” on humanitarian activists and a violation of international law. Moreover, it broke recess in August “to inform lawmakers on Israel’s Gaza assault, the genocide and oppression against the Palestinian people, famine policies and the current situation in the region.”
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