Trump faces Middle East test as Netanyahu balks at Erdogan’s Gaza troop hopes

President Donald Trump is facing a pivotal determination that could specify the adjacent signifier of his Middle East policy: whether to let Turkish troops into Gaza arsenic portion of a U.S.-backed stabilization force. The move, which Ankara is lobbying for, has triggered alarm successful Israel and among Arab allies who presumption Turkey’s ambitions and Islamist ties arsenic a menace to determination stability.

According to Middle East Eye, Turkey is preparing a brigade of astatine slightest 2,000 soldiers drawn from aggregate branches of its subject to articulation the ngo erstwhile a U.N. Security Council mandate is approved. Israel has flatly rejected the idea. "There volition beryllium nary Turkish boots connected the ground," an Israeli authorities spokesperson told reporters.

Trump has publically praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arsenic "a precise beardown leader," signaling renewed spot and raising questions implicit whether idiosyncratic diplomacy could outweigh Israel’s concerns. His determination volition trial Washington’s quality to equilibrium its closest Middle East ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a NATO spouse that has agelong hosted Hamas leaders and positioned itself arsenic their defender.

TRUMP SIGNALS NEW TRUST IN ERDOGAN, RAISING CONCERNS OVER TURKEY’S AMBITIONS IN GAZA AND BEYOND

President Donald Trump speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu astatine Ben Gurion International Airport earlier boarding his level to Sharm el-Sheikh, connected Oct. 13, 2025 successful Tel Aviv, Israel. President Trump is visiting the state hours aft Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured connected Oct. 7, 2023, portion of a US-brokered ceasefire woody to extremity the warfare successful Gaza.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.)

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said Trump indispensable admit the extent of the ideological disagreement betwixt Israel and Erdogan’s government.

"Trump is an economical warrior and a dealmaker. He wants to enactment everyone successful his Middle East determination woody by embracing enemies and allies alike," Diker said. "But helium doesn’t instrumentality into relationship the profoundly deep-rooted enmity that Erdogan’s authorities embodies. Turkey is not a person of the United States and the Western alliance, adjacent though it’s a NATO member. It is presently connected a ngo to asseverate itself arsenic an Islamic imperial powerfulness successful the Middle East."

Diker warned that Erdogan’s ambitions, combined with his enactment for Hamas, airs a nonstop situation to some Israel and NATO. "You privation to speech astir an occupier? They’re the large occupiers of Syria close now, and they spot themselves arsenic the determining Islamic powerfulness successful Gaza. This is simply a precise unsafe moment, and the president would beryllium good advised to backmost Israel without conditions," helium said.

He warned Erdogan is "publicly supporting and financing an planetary Islamic panic organization." Diker said NATO "must not allow" this and that Trump "cannot let himself to compromise the principles of America first, which is Israel archetypal and the West first."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks to the attendees during a rally to amusement their solidarity with the Palestinians, successful Istanbul, Turkey, connected Saturday, Oct. 28.  (Emrah Gurel/AP)

The reported preparations travel arsenic Trump has described Erdogan arsenic "highly respected" and "a precise beardown leader," signaling renewed spot betwixt Washington and Ankara and raising concerns wrong Israel astir Turkey’s increasing influence. In caller months, Erdogan has intensified his rhetoric against Israel portion positioning himself arsenic the indispensable powerfulness for Gaza’s reconstruction and aboriginal governance.

For Israeli officials and analysts, Turkey’s intentions widen acold beyond humanitarian assistance. Former Israeli National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror said the imaginable of Turkish troops entering Gaza is unacceptable. "I americium not astatine each definite Turkish forces volition enter, and if they do, it volition beryllium precise bad. I deliberation Israel indispensable basal firmly connected its feet to forestall Turkish forces from entering," helium told Fox News Digital.

AS TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES GAZA PEACE PLAN, HISTORY SHOWS UN PEACEKEEPING’S MIXED RECORD

President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a acme to enactment ending the much than two-year Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza aft a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, successful Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  (Evan Vucci AP Photo/ Pool)

Amidror said Turkey’s ambitions are incompatible with Israeli information needs. "Turkey is simply a powerfulness with a tendency to grow its borders and its power into areas that are applicable to us, and truthful we indispensable not judge a Turkish service successful Gaza."

He added that Israel indispensable clasp operational state wrong Gaza adjacent aft the war. "Israel indispensable not springiness up Israeli state of action, similar successful Lebanon. The infinitesimal Hamas rebuilds itself, we volition enactment arsenic we bash successful Lebanon."

Israel’s interest is rooted successful years of tensions with Ankara, including Erdoğan’s enactment for Hamas, his governmental clasp of the Muslim Brotherhood, and clashes implicit Syria, wherever Ankara opposed Israeli and Western-backed Kurdish forces and backed Islamist militias that Israel viewed arsenic destabilizing. The bilateral narration has been marked by repeated diplomatic crises and years of heated idiosyncratic exchanges betwixt Erdogan and Netanyahu.

Gonul Tol, elder chap astatine the Middle East Institute and writer of "Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle astatine Home and successful Syria," said Turkey’s assertive Gaza posture is profoundly tied to Erdogan’s home governmental endurance and his long-standing enactment for Islamist movements crossed the region.

"The superior extremity determination is home politics," she said. "Erdogan has ever framed himself arsenic the champion of the Palestinian cause, and by his astir blimpish constituency, he's often pushed to instrumentality a beardown stance against Israel."

TRUMP’S SWIPE AT ‘WEAK’ LEADERS HIGHLIGHTS THE SHIFTING GLOBAL INFLUENCE OF WESTERN NATIONS

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds a signed papers during a acme to enactment ending the much than two-year Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza aft a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, successful Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool via AP)

Tol said Erdogan hardened his code aft suffering large losses successful Turkey’s 2024 municipal elections. "His enactment mislaid each large cities to the opposition, and 1 of the lessons that Erdogan had drawn from that nonaccomplishment was that helium thought helium did not bash a bully occupation successful presumption of Gaza to his constituency."

Competing Islamist parties utilized Gaza to onslaught him politically. "They criticized Erdogan connected the run way saying that Erdogan says each these things, but erstwhile it comes to taking steps that would punish Israel, Erdogan didn't bash much."

But Tol noted that Erdogan has besides been pragmatic down the scenes, peculiarly successful his dealings with Washington. "People successful his ellipse accidental the Hamas enactment had been asked to permission Turkey quietly. They are doing everything not to choler the Trump administration," she said. She added that Erdogan adjacent pushed Hamas to judge Trump’s Gaza proposal, noting that it included provisions that did not favour the organization.

TRUMP PEACE PLAN FOR GAZA COULD BE JUST A 'PAUSE' BEFORE HAMAS STRIKES AGAIN, EXPERTS WARN

The IDF announced that arsenic portion of the ceasefire statement and successful accordance with the directive of the governmental echelon, IDF troops nether the Southern Command person begun marking the Yellow Line successful the Gaza Strip to found tactical clarity connected the ground. (IDF)

Yet Erdogan’s ideological way grounds fuels determination suspicion. For years, Turkey openly backed Muslim Brotherhood from Libya to Syria to Egypt. "There is this Arab uprising bundle that Turkey carries around," Tol explained. "Turkey supported, logistically and militarily, Muslim Brotherhood groups opposing those regimes." This history, she said, casts uncertainty connected Ankara’s intentions successful Gaza successful the eyes of Arab partners specified arsenic Egypt and Saudi.

Galia Lindenstrauss, elder researcher astatine Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Turkey’s ideology and governmental goals clash with the aims of Israel. "Turkey has a precise pro-Palestinian stance. And not lone that, it has a pro-Hamas stance. It wants Hamas to stay a applicable histrion successful the time after," she said.

She besides pointed to actions that erode trust, including Ankara’s 2024 commercialized restrictions connected Israel and apprehension warrants issued for dozens of Israeli officials. She said Turkey continues gathering Hamas leaders publicly, showing "no motion of immoderate alteration successful the Turkish stance."

The operation of Islamist sympathies, governmental ambition and hardening anti-Israel rhetoric "raises suspicion that immoderate Turkish enactment is not sincere successful the effort to weaken Hamas," she said.

The United States is present navigating the powerfulness struggle. According to a State Department readout connected Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to sermon "the ceasefire successful Gaza and adjacent steps to guarantee stableness successful the region." The gathering highlighted adjacent coordination with Ankara adjacent arsenic Washington has not decided whether to see Turkish troops.

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Suspected terrorists successful Gaza travel retired of hiding arsenic cease-fire for  hostages woody gets underway successful Gaza's Deir al-Balah area. (TPS-IL)

Tol said the result "will each travel down to however powerfully President Trump is consenting to propulsion each parties to accept" oregon cull Turkey’s participation. Lindenstrauss added that Ankara expects Trump to resoluteness disputes with Israel implicit Gaza and successful Syria that it cannot lick alone.

Requests for remark from the Turkish Embassy spokesperson successful Washington, D.C., were not returned.