Turkey in talks over Gaza task force role: Defense source

Turkey is in talks with its other countries over its potential participation in an international Gaza peacekeeping mission with its military "ready" if needed, a defense ministry source said Thursday. 

"We are continuing contact with our counterparts regarding our participation in the task force to be established in Gaza," the source said. 

The task force will operate as part of the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) for monitoring the cease-fire, which is based in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat and was inaugurated on Tuesday by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

"The CMCC has been established to facilitate the formation of the Gaza task force. Under this structure, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be set up that will be in charge of monitoring the cease-fire and preventing conflict," the source said.

"For now, nothing is confirmed about the level of Turkey's participation in such structures, but it will probably be confirmed next week."

Asked if the Turkish military would participate, the source said it had "experience from previous peace missions" and was "ready to undertake any task assigned to it ... to establish and maintain peace."

Israel's relationship with Turkey has nosedived since the Gaza war started in October 2023, with Israel adamantly opposed to a Turkish presence in Gaza — but the source said as a guarantor of the cease-fire deal, Turkey had leverage. 

"Israel might not be willing to accept Turkey's presence but there is an agreement and Turkey is one of the guarantors," the source said. 

Speaking at the inauguration of the CMCC on Tuesday, Vance also refused 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," he said. 

Medical rescue experts waiting

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. 

Asked about their status, the Defense Ministry source said there was "no clear information." 

"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 source said. 

The 81-member team from Turkey's AFAD disaster management authority is waiting to enter with life-detection devices, trained search dogs and other search-and-rescue equipment.

An AFP correspondent in Sheikh Zuweid, some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the Rafah border crossing, saw several of them wearing t-shirts with the logo of Turkey’s UMKE national medical rescue team. 

They could be seen organizing supplies in containers with the AFAD logo, some of which were marked "field hospital."