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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s flight to Egypt for the Gaza peace summit on Monday was delayed midair after reports surfaced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might attend, according to Turkish media reports.
Turkish media outlet TGRT Haber’s Ankara Bureau Chief Fatih Atik claimed Erdogan instructed his aircraft to “turn back” upon learning of Netanyahu’s possible participation. The presidential plane reportedly remained over the Red Sea until confirmation came that the Israeli leader would not be attending.
Additionally, a senior Turkish official told CNN Turk that Ankara had directly informed Washington that Netanyahu “should not attend” the summit.
Meanwhile, Hurriyet’s Ankara Bureau Chief Hande Firat, who was on board the presidential flight, provided additional details about the go-around maneuver before landing.
“We passed over the runway. Just as we were about to land, reports came in that Netanyahu would be attending the summit. From that moment, it was expected that the plane might turn around at any time,” Firat said. “As soon as confirmation came from my source that his attendance status would be clarified, we began to descend — then the plane started to ascend again. When the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced he would not attend, we performed the go-around.”
Firat added that while there was no official explanation afterward, “this could be seen as a reaction.” She said the aircraft circled above the Red Sea for some time, noting that when she asked a senior source whether Washington had been told that Türkiye would react if Netanyahu attended, the response was, “Yes, of course, we made that clear.”
President Erdogan eventually arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh aboard the presidential aircraft “TUR” for the “Summit for Peace.” His plane performed a go-around over Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, circling the Red Sea before landing.
Earlier Monday, Egypt’s presidency had announced that Netanyahu would attend the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit, but his office later confirmed that he would not participate.
According to Atik’s report, Erdogan’s aircraft stayed in Red Sea airspace until Netanyahu’s absence was officially confirmed.
Netanyahu’s office said Monday that he would not attend the summit, despite an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The (Israeli) Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation but stated that he would not be able to attend due to the proximity of the event to the start of the holiday,” the statement said. Netanyahu also expressed appreciation to Trump “for his efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength.”
Egypt’s presidency later confirmed that Netanyahu would not take part in the event.
Cairo had earlier said Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were invited to attend the summit “to consolidate the cease-fire agreement to stop the war in Gaza and confirm their commitment to it.”
More than 20 world leaders are expected to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt said the gathering aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”
The first phase of the Gaza cease-fire agreement began Friday under Trump’s plan to end a two-year Israeli war on the enclave.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the territory largely uninhabitable.
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