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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that Israel's history of violating ceasefires poses the greatest threat to a newly signed peace agreement, even as he joined U.S. President Donald Trump in backing the Gaza truce with unprecedented international oversight.
"Israel's track record on ceasefire violations is very bad. This situation forces us to be more cautious and meticulous," Erdogan told reporters aboard his presidential flight returning from Egypt's peace summit on Monday (Oct. 13).
The Turkish president stressed that any return to genocide would carry "severe costs" that Israel "knows well."
The stark warning came hours after Erdogan signed a four-nation declaration with Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, creating what he called an unprecedented international guarantee mechanism to prevent Israel from resuming attacks on Gaza.
Describing Gaza as transformed into "a massive pile of rubble," Erdogan revealed the complete destruction: "There are no houses, no hospitals, no schools. There are virtually no buildings left standing." Palestinian families forcibly displaced are returning, "but there's no home," he said.
Türkiye has emerged as Gaza's largest humanitarian provider, delivering 102,000 tons of aid—with 350 trucks entering since the ceasefire began. The agreement mandates 600 daily aid trucks, which Erdogan said Türkiye is working to achieve. He announced emergency container housing deployment before winter through the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Türkiye's disaster agency.
"We're not just sending food, water, and medicine there. We're also sending brotherhood, sending hope," Erdogan stated.
Wounded Palestinians are receiving treatment at Turkish city hospitals in Ankara and Istanbul, with Erdogan offering Istanbul's facilities for those preferring treatment there.
The signed declaration commits all four nations to ensuring neither side violates the ceasefire, with specific emphasis on Israel's compliance. "These signatures aren't ordinary. With these signatures, this will for peace has entered the historical record," Erdogan emphasized.
The agreement text, which Erdogan read in full, explicitly commits to "eliminating all forms of extremism and radicalization" and acknowledges the region's importance to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It mandates that future disputes be resolved through diplomacy, not force, addressing what it calls the Middle East's inability to "bear any longer" cycles of failed agreements.
"Israel's track record on ceasefire violations is very bad. This forces us to be more cautious and meticulous," Erdogan warned, adding that "Israel knows" any return to genocide would carry "severe costs."
Erdogan argued that Gaza proved military force ineffective, with Hamas's "resistance will remain unbroken" despite massive casualties. He quoted poetry about faith being "that divine jewel" while "the faithless rusty heart is a burden in the chest" to describe Palestinian resilience.
"Israel cannot achieve any result by occupying its neighbors," he stated, emphasizing that "continuous bombing from the sky and attacks everywhere—these don't work."
The Turkish president confirmed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are coordinating with regional counterparts on both monitoring and reconstruction.
Initial responses from Gulf states, Europe and America were "not bad," with leaders pledging to "fulfill our role."
International reconstruction faces massive financing needs, with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League developing implementation plans.
Erdogan expressed confidence that funding would materialize, noting positive initial discussions with Gulf leaders about burden-sharing.
Türkiye plans to provide 10,000 tents through the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) while transitioning to container units.
"These people surely won't live in tents permanently," Erdogan said, ordering available containers sent immediately for winter shelter.
He thanked the Turkish Red Crescent, AFAD, TIKA development agency and Health Ministry for coordinating efforts with civil society organizations.
The agreement explicitly addresses preventing "partial, incomplete or selective implementation" of past deals, with signatories pledging to build "institutional foundations" for permanent peace.
Despite the ceasefire, Erdogan stressed that it represents only a temporary arrangement. "Looking at this agreement as a document solving the Palestinian issue would be wrong. This agreement is essentially a ceasefire arrangement," he clarified.
"The sole solution to the Palestinian cause is establishing an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with geographical integrity based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," Erdogan declared. "Türkiye will continue working for this with determination."
He warned against complacency, noting the Palestinian cause has reached unprecedented global awareness through "Sumud and freedom flotillas" and people wearing keffiyehs worldwide representing "humanity's common conscience against Israeli oppression."
When asked about potential Turkish peacekeeping forces, Erdogan said evaluations continue regarding the force's structure, with discussions ongoing about which nations would participate in construction versus peacekeeping roles.
The summit marks what Erdogan called the first time in years that the Palestinian cause has captured "humanity's common agenda to this degree," warning that the current calm "shouldn't lead the humanity front to complacency."
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