Istanbul Meeting: Arab, Muslim FMs Affirm Palestinian Self-Rule in Postwar Gaza

Foreign Ministers from seven Arab and Muslim countries convened Monday in Istanbul, Türkiye, to discuss the future of Gaza as the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel enters its third week.

The meeting focused on efforts to establish the ceasefire in Gaza, plans for the future governance and security of Gaza, and steps taken towards achieving peace based on the two-state solution.

Istanbul Meeting

Upon an invitation from the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, along with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the developments in the Gaza Strip, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The meeting discussed efforts to establish peace in the region and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, signed in Egypt’s Sharm Al-Sheikh. It also reviewed the outcomes of the recent coordination meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in Riyadh.

Furthermore, the meeting explored joint efforts to coordinate diplomatic and humanitarian tracks, underscoring the need to continue efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to all regions in Gaza.

The Future of Gaza

The participating countries agreed that the future of Gaza must be led by Palestinians, with support from the international community, according to AFP.

“Our principle is that Palestinians should govern the Palestinians and ensure their own security, the international community should support this in the best possible way – diplomatically, institutionally and economically,” Fidan said.

“Nobody wants to see a new system of tutelage emerge,” the Turkish Foreign Minister told a press conference after the meeting in Istanbul.

Fidan noted that all seven countries backed plans for Palestinians to assume the responsibility of Gaza’s security and governance. “We’ve now reached an extremely critical stage: we do not want the genocide in Gaza to resume,” he added.

Palestinian Unity

The Turkish Minister said that Hamas was “ready to hand Gaza to a committee of Palestinians,” adding that reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank “will bear fruit as soon as possible.” He also stressed that Palestinian unity would “strengthen Palestine’s representation in the international community.”

Hakan met on Saturday with a Hamas delegation, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya. They discussed the situation in Gaza, the dire humanitarian conditions, and Israeli violations of the agreement.

In late October, Egypt hosted a meeting of Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Front-General Command, the Democratic Front, the Palestinian National Initiative and the Democratic Reform Current, to discuss the next steps in Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Following the meeting, the factions agreed on transferring the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent technocrats, to run daily affairs and basic services in cooperation with Arab partners and international institutions.

Gaza Reconstruction

Türkiye is pushing for Arab and Muslim countries to assume the reconstruction of Gaza. On Monday, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urged Muslim countries to play a “leading role” in Gaza’s recovery in line with the reconstruction plan endorsed by Arab and Muslim countries in March 2025.

“We believe the reconstruction plan prepared by the Arab League and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) should be implemented immediately,” Erdogan said.

The $53 billion plan, developed by Egypt, consists of an early recovery plan and two key phases over five years and will rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians from their land. It includes building hundreds of thousands of housing units and launching major projects.

In the light of this, Egypt will host the International Conference on Early Recovery, Reconstruction, and Development in Gaza in cooperation with the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Palestinian Authority (PA), in November 2025.

The conference will bring together donor states, international organizations, and regional partners to mobilize global support for and coordinate postwar reconstruction efforts in the Strip.

Gaza Security Force

The Istanbul meeting addressed the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will oversee the ceasefire agreement to pave the way for the disarmament of Hamas and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

In the light of this, Fidan said that the ISF need to have a “mandate defined by a UN Security Council resolution and a framework for legitimacy,” adding that countries will decide on joining the ISF based on the force’s mandate and authority.

“First, a general consensus needs to be reached on a draft, then it needs to be approved by the members of the Security Council. And it needs to be free from vetoes by any of the permanent (UNSC) members,” the Turkish Minister said.

The ISF is part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. It will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.

Multiple countries have shown interest in joining the ISF, including Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Azerbaijan and Pakistan, but they asked for a UN mandate for the force.

Meanwhile, Israel said it would decide which foreign troops would join the ISF in Gaza, rejecting any involvement of Türkiye in the ISF.