US Senator Lindsey Graham has said Israel should oppose Turkey’s inclusion in a proposed international stabilization force for Gaza, warning that Ankara’s involvement would undermine Israeli support for the plan as mediators push for the next phase of a fragile ceasefire.
Graham, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, made the remarks during a visit to Israel on Sunday, a day after the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey called on Israel and Hamas to uphold the truce and move toward a second phase of the agreement.
Beginning in October a fragile ceasefire has so far halted two years of war Israel launched on Gaza following a Hamas attack in October 2023.
That phase would include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the deployment of an international stabilization force and the establishment of an interim authority to govern the territory in place of Hamas. It also envisages the demilitarization of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas.
Graham said Israel strongly opposes any Turkish role in the force.
“There is no political support anywhere in Israel for having Turkey being involved in the stabilizing force,” he said, adding that Turkey’s participation would “rock Israel to its core.”
Israel has made the disarmament of Hamas a key condition for any lasting peace in Gaza. Graham has accused Hamas of using the ceasefire to consolidate its power and has warned that the truce would fail if the group remains armed.
Graham’s comments come as Turkey continues to play a diplomatic role alongside Washington, Doha and Cairo in efforts to sustain the ceasefire and negotiate the next phase of the deal.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated last week that his country is ready to join the proposed international stabilization force for Gaza even though Ankara was left out of US-led planning talks in Doha last week.
Fidan’s remarks, aired by TRT World, came as the US Central Command hosted a conference in the Qatari capital of Doha on December 16 to discuss the structure and operations of the international force, with officials saying more than 25 countries were expected to take part.
Turkey was not invited, reportedly due to Israeli objections to Turkish participation, after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel would not accept Turkish armed forces in Gaza and described Turkey as hostile.
Hamas, meanwhile, has called on the mediators and Washington to stop Israeli “violations” of the ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli artillery shelling was reported on Sunday in several parts of Gaza’s southern area of Khan Yunis, according to the civil defense agency, which operates under the authority of Hamas.
On Friday six people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli bombing of a school serving as a shelter for displaced people, according to the agency.
© Agence France-Presse with reporting from Turkish Minute