Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has welcomed Hamas’s response to the Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by US President Donald Trump, describing it as a “constructive and significant step” toward the realization of lasting peace in the Middle East.

In a statement published on X, Erdoğan underlined that Hamas’s acceptance of the plan demonstrates the Palestinian Resistance’s commitment to protecting its people and striving for justice, despite enduring nearly a year of relentless Israeli aggression.

“Hamas’s response to the plan for the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza constitutes a constructive and significant step towards the achievement of lasting peace,” Erdoğan wrote.

Erdoğan stressed that Israel must immediately end its attacks and comply with the ceasefire framework. He emphasized that any delay in implementing the plan would only prolong the suffering of the Palestinian people, who have faced mass killings, forced displacement, and destruction on an unprecedented scale.

“All necessary steps must be taken without delay to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to achieve lasting peace,” Erdoğan declared.

Describing the situation in Gaza as “a genocide” and “a disgraceful picture that has deeply wounded the global conscience,” the Turkish leader said the world could no longer stand idle in the face of Israel’s crimes.

Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye would continue to deploy all of its diplomatic, political, and humanitarian means to ensure the negotiations produce the most beneficial outcome for the Palestinian people.

“As Türkiye, we will continue to strive with all our means to ensure that the negotiations yield the most beneficial outcome for the Palestinian people and that the two-state solution, supported by the international community, is brought into effect,” he said.

Hamas’s positive response to Trump’s proposal — which includes a framework for a prisoner exchange, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the transfer of governance to a Palestinian technocratic authority backed by Arab and Islamic states — has been praised by regional powers including Egypt, Qatar, and now Türkiye.

Analysts note that Erdoğan’s statement further strengthens the regional consensus that the bloodshed in Gaza must come to an end, and that Palestinians must be allowed to live with dignity, security, and the right to self-determination.

With Trump openly calling on Israel to stop its bombing, and Hamas signaling readiness for negotiations through mediators, Erdoğan’s intervention is being seen as an effort to pressure the occupying power and its backers into accepting an end to the war.

The Turkish president’s strong language reflects a growing international outcry against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed since October 2023, and millions displaced amid famine and siege.

Erdoğan’s call for urgent humanitarian aid delivery, alongside his warning that global conscience can no longer bear the disgrace of Israel’s atrocities, echoes the demand of millions worldwide who stand in solidarity with Palestine. (ILKHA)