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Türkiye is in talks with other countries over its potential participation in an international Gaza peacekeeping mission with its military ready if needed, Turkish Ministry of National Defense sources said Thursday.
"We are continuing contact with our counterparts regarding our participation in the task force to be established in Gaza," the sources said following the ministry's weekly press briefing.
The task force will operate as part of the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) for monitoring the ceasefire, based in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel and inaugurated on Tuesday by US Vice President JD Vance.
"The CMCC has been established to facilitate the formation of the Gaza task force. Under this structure, an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) will be set up that will be in charge of monitoring the ceasefire and preventing conflict," the sources said.
"For now, nothing is confirmed about the level of Türkiye's participation in such structures but it will probably be confirmed next week," the sources said.
Asked if the Turkish military would participate, the sources said Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) had "experience from previous peace missions" and were "ready to undertake any task assigned to it to establish and maintain peace."
"The Turkish Armed Forces have experience in previous peacekeeping missions and are prepared to fulfill responsibilities in accordance with international law," the sources noted.
Given the humanitarian tragedy ongoing in Gaza for two years, emergency delivery of humanitarian assistance and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure have become priorities.
The CMCC was established to facilitate the formation of the Gaza task force covering security patrols, civilian infrastructure protection, humanitarian aid, border security, training activities for local security forces, and ceasefire monitoring.
"Türkiye is continuing diplomatic and military consultations with other countries as one of four guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement," the sources said.
Israel's relationship with Türkiye has deteriorated significantly since the Gaza war began in October 2023, with Israel strongly opposed to a Turkish presence in Gaza. However, as a guarantor of the ceasefire, Türkiye has leverage in negotiations.
"Israel might not be willing to accept Türkiye's presence, but there is an agreement and Türkiye is one of the guarantors," the sources said as reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Speaking at the CMCC inauguration on Tuesday, U.S. Vice President Vance declined to rule out a Turkish presence.
"We're not going to force anything on our Israeli friends when it comes to foreign troops on their soil. But we do think that there's a constructive role for the Turks to play, and frankly, they've already played a very constructive role," Vance said.
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Meanwhile, Turkish disaster response specialists sent to help locate Palestinian and Israeli bodies remained near Egypt's border with Gaza on Thursday, awaiting Israeli authorization to enter the territory.
An 81-member team from Türkiye's AFAD disaster management authority is waiting to enter with life-detection devices, trained search dogs, and other search-and-rescue equipment.
Asked about the team's status, the Defense Ministry sources said there was "no clear information" on their authorization.
"Israel is not complying with its obligations and isn't allowing in humanitarian aid. We hope they will let AFAD in to do its mission in Gaza as soon as possible," the sources said.
An AFP correspondent in Sheikh Zuweid, approximately 15 kilometers from the Rafah border crossing, saw several team members wearing t-shirts with the logo of Türkiye's UMKE national medical rescue team.
They were organizing supplies in containers marked with the AFAD logo, some marked "field hospital."
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