Delivery Of International Stabilization Troops To Gaza Strip Is Still In Process

JAKARTA - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday said countries are still working on a UN Security Council mandate for international stabilization forces in the Gaza Strip, Palestine and will decide on deploying troops once the framework is complete.

Foreign Minister Fidan spoke after he and ministers from several Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, met in Istanbul to discuss a ceasefire brokered by the United States in Gaza, while Hamas and Israel accused each other of committing violations.

Several countries meeting - which also include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkey - could contribute to planned troops to monitor the ceasefire.

Foreign Minister Fidan said at a press conference there were several issues in the full implementation of the agreement as Israel regularly violated it, adding Israel had to fulfill its obligation to allow the entry of sufficient aid.

When asked about what role Turkey wants to play, Foreign Minister Fidan said countries were trying to provide definitions and "legitimizations" for the mission.

"They will decide, based on the contents of this definition, whether to send soldiers or not," he said.

Foreign Minister Fidan said Turkey wanted to see Palestinians ensure their own safety and manage their own government after the war, but there were other steps that needed to be taken first.

The seventh leaders of the country met US President Donald Trump in New York in September, shortly before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire plan.

Yesterday's meeting in Istanbul also focused on the humanitarian situation in the enclave.

Gaza's ceasefire, which has not resolved issues such as the armament of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the deadline for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, has been tested by periodic violence since it took effect on October 10.

Israel has expressed its commitment to President Trump's plans to accuse the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, of not keeping its agreement to repatriate the remains of the hostages.

A government spokesman said Israel allowed the entry of " hundreds of aid trucks every day, (while) Hamas showed his identity by thwarting humanitarian aid that should have been aimed at his own people".