Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Turkey, issued a joint statement on Saturday welcoming Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and urging Israel to halt its bombardment.
The statement by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt was released a day after Hamas announced its readiness to release all hostages and hand over Gaza’s administration to a transitional Palestinian technocratic committee. Trump, in turn, called on Israel to cease military strikes and begin implementing the exchange arrangement.
The foreign ministers said they supported Hamas’s steps on Trump’s proposal to end the war, free hostages both alive and dead and launch negotiations on implementation. They also backed Trump’s call on Israel to stop bombing and begin the exchange process, describing his initiative as an important contribution to peace efforts.
Negotiations set to begin in Cairo
Israel and Hamas are expected to hold talks in Cairo on Monday, with mediation from Qatar, the US and Egypt, to negotiate details of the hostage-prisoner exchange, according to Turkish media citing international sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted Trump’s 20-point plan on September 29. Hamas announced on Friday it would release the remaining hostages but said it sought further discussions on some elements, particularly those tied to disarmament provisions. Analysts note that Hamas has avoided an explicit commitment to lay down arms, a condition seen as central to the US proposal.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state broadcaster TRT that Hamas’s reaction reflected a willingness to compromise while also underlining what it considered unacceptable for Palestinians.
According to Turkish media reports, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın traveled to Qatar to take part in mediation talks with Hamas after Trump unveiled his plan on September 29. Trump had given Hamas until October 6 to issue a response.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a phone call with Trump shortly before Hamas released its statement. In a social media post on October 4, Erdoğan said Hamas’s reply was a constructive step toward peace and urged Israel to halt its attacks and comply with the ceasefire plan. He also called for immediate humanitarian aid access to Gaza, describing the situation as “a genocide” and “a disgraceful picture that has deeply wounded the global conscience.” He added that Turkey would continue working to secure the best outcome for Palestinians and advance a two-state solution backed by the international community.
Some regional analysts say Erdoğan’s remarks indicate Turkey’s ambition to play a mediator role, although they caution that the initiative’s success hinges heavily on Israel’s response.
Fidan also said eight Muslim-majority countries had met with Trump in New York on September 23, where they urged the US president to restrain Netanyahu. He framed Trump’s opposition to potential West Bank annexation as a historic shift in Washington’s stance.
Plan envisions transitional governance
Trump’s plan calls for an immediate ceasefire once accepted by both sides, with Israeli forces pulling back to agreed lines and halting operations. Within 72 hours of Israel’s formal acceptance, all hostages — alive and deceased — would be returned.
Once hostages are released, Israel would free 250 prisoners serving life sentences plus 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023. Hamas members pledging to lay down arms and accept peaceful coexistence would be granted amnesty.
Gaza would be temporarily administered by a technocratic Palestinian committee under international oversight. The Board of Peace, to be chaired by Trump with former UK prime minister Tony Blair among its members, would oversee the process. An International Stabilization Force would deploy to train Palestinian police and secure borders as Israeli troops gradually withdraw.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza began after October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military operations have killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women, children and the elderly, with nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities.