ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday called for Muslim nations to act together and mobilize international opposition against Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, following talks in Egypt. Speaking at a joint press conference in El Alamein with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty after meeting President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Fidan condemned the Israeli plan as part of what Ankara describes as genocidal and expansionist policies against Palestinians. He urged global measures to halt the plan, accusing Israel of attempting to permanently invade Gaza and force Palestinians out through starvation.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was convened for an emergency meeting, which issued a statement condemning Israel’s move as a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation,” a violation of international law that would obliterate any chance for peace. Abdelatty expressed full coordination with Turkey on Gaza and called Israel’s plans “inadmissible.”
Israel’s plan, authorized by its security cabinet, aims to seize Gaza City, disarm Hamas, and establish security control, while relocating about one million residents further south in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects accusations of starvation policies and characterizes its actions as necessary measures against Hamas, which launched a deadly attack in October 2023.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been attempting for months to negotiate a ceasefire, but talks recently stalled. The OIC urged the UN Security Council and world powers to take urgent legal and humanitarian actions against Israel’s plan, demanding accountability for violations of international law amid warnings of a severe humanitarian crisis.
The Palestinian Authority and other regional actors join Turkey and Egypt in condemning the move as illegal and catastrophic for the Gaza population, fearing it will escalate violence and displacement in the region.