Turkey puts ex-disaster chief in charge of Gaza aid, in sign of big new role

Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas, successful Gaza City, October 16, 2025. [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]

Turkey has enactment a erstwhile caput of its catastrophe absorption bureau successful complaint of its assistance to Gaza, a Foreign Ministry source has said, a motion it intends to ramp up its relation arsenic a guarantor of the caller ceasefire aft sitting retired earlier rounds of diplomacy.

President Tayyip Erdogan, a professional of Israel’s battle connected Gaza, joined semipermanent mediators Qatar and Egypt this week successful signing disconnected connected US President Donald Trump’s program to extremity the war, aft mostly steering wide of negotiations for two years.

The source said erstwhile caput of Turkey’s AFAD catastrophe absorption authorization Mehmet Gulluoglu, besides a erstwhile ambassador, had been appointed arsenic coordinator for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians and travelled to the portion connected Wednesday.

“Turkey is mobilising each its resources to rapidly present assistance to Gaza, found temporary lodging areas, and for Gaza’s reconstruction,” the source said.

Gulluoglu will behaviour inspections to place the indispensable assistance materials successful Gaza and prioritise them, coordinate with UN agencies, guarantee the unhindered transportation of assistance from Turkey, consult with Egyptian and Jordanian officials connected deliveries, work connected evacuating the wounded and ramping up Turkey’s aesculapian support to Gaza, the source said.

Ankara has said it would take portion successful an planetary task unit to show the implementation of the ceasefire accord, though details person yet to beryllium finalised. The Turkish Defence Ministry has said its equipped forces stand acceptable to take portion successful the task unit successful a subject oregon civilian capableness arsenic needed. [Reuters]