Why Turkey’s exclusion from Gaza force may be a strategic blessing
Despite being excluded from Gaza’s international stabilization force, Ankara will likely leverage its ties with Hamas to maintain influence within the Trump administration’s Board of Peace.
Turkey’s current exclusion from the planned international stabilization force for the Gaza Strip may prove a strategic blessing, sparing it from a high-risk military role while maintaining its influence in the Palestinian enclave through political ties and humanitarian engagement.
During Thursday’s Board of Peace meeting in Washington, chaired by US President Donald Trump, Turkey was left out of the proposed international force to be deployed in Gaza despite Ankara’s earlier bid to contribute troops. It seems a setback on paper, diluting Turkey's influence in post-war Gaza, but analysts say it may ultimately save Turkey from being boxed into an uncertain military mission that could have placed its forces in direct friction with Israel.
Instead, Ankara is expected to lean on its political ties with Hamas and other Palestinian factions to retain influence inside Gaza and within the Trump-led board.
Israel remains opposed to a Turkish military presence in Gaza, fearing that Ankara’s ties with Hamas could complicate the group’s disarmament, a key requirement under Trump’s plan. Turkey is the sole NATO country that doesn’t recognize the militant group as a terrorist organization and Hamas’ political leaders divide their time between Qatar and Turkey.
