As President Donald Trump celebrated the ceasefire in Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, he singled out one leader for extraordinary praise: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose leadership he credited with helping realize the ceasefire in Gaza.
“A man who has been a friend of mine for a long time. I don’t know why I like the tough people more than the soft, easy-going people,” Trump said. “This gentleman from a place called Turkey is one of the most powerful in the world… He’s a tough cookie, but he’s my friend.”
During the war, Erdogan has condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza while defending Hamas against US policies, and avoided a leading diplomatic role in ending the war.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds a signed document during a summit in support of ending the more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza after a landmark ceasefire, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool via AP)
Trump’s public praise underscored a new level of trust between Washington and Ankara. But according to Turkish press reports, Erdogan refused to land his plane in Egypt after learning that Netanyahu – personally invited by Trump – could attend the summit. The Turkish president only agreed to land after it was confirmed that the Israeli leader would not attend.
“It was classic Erdogan theater,” said Sinan Ciddi, senior fellow and director of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “He probably knew that Netanyahu was expected, especially since the American president was there. But refusing to land until Netanyahu was out gives him domestic political capital and boosts his image in parts of the Muslim world..”
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President Donald Trump greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a summit in support of ending the more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza after a landmark ceasefire, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (Evan Vucci AP photo/pool)
Ciddi said Erdogan’s ambitions now go far beyond diplomacy. “He wants Turkish construction companies to rebuild Gaza, Turkish troops to participate in every enforcement mission and Turkey to stand as guarantor for the Palestinians,” he said. “That would give Ankara both economic and political leverage: contracts for its companies, troops on the ground and a place at every table to discuss Gaza’s future.”
But Ciddi also explains that Turkey’s ambitions in Gaza are part of a broader strategic calculus. “Trump’s demands from Erdogan regarding the F-35 were not just based on Gaza,” he said. “These included ending Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia, addressing the S-400 missile issue and playing a constructive role in stabilizing Gaza.”
He added that Erdogan has so far opposed parts of that package. “But by helping Trump broker a ceasefire, Erdogan is trying to rebuild trust in Washington – and prove that Turkey can once again be a useful NATO partner.”
US military will oversee the next phase of the peace deal from its coordination base in Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump attend a multilateral meeting on Gaza with several leaders of Muslim countries during the 80th United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, United States, on September 23, 2025. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Golov, who previously served as senior director at Israel’s National Security Council, added that Washington’s early efforts to focus the post-war framework on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have faded. “In the current agreement, the big winners are not the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which would have served Israel’s interests, but Turkey and Qatar,” he said. “Before the deal, Erdogan was already a major player, and yesterday he used a veto – Trump invited, and Erdogan vetoed. Those who didn’t want Erdogan in Syria’s Golan Heights will get him in Gaza.”
He said Israel and the US should compensate for Ankara’s rise by reviving Gulf cooperation. “Israel has what Qatar and Turkey do not have: technology and credibility,” Golov said. “If Israel links its innovation to energy and resources from the Gulf, it can build a regional hub that strengthens the pro-American camp and weakens both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.”
Netanyahu praised Trump in his Knesset speech as Israel’s “greatest friend.” Monday, October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Kenny Holston/Pool via Reuters)
A former Israeli official said Washington should treat Turkey and Qatar as stakeholders, not as neutral mediators. “They promised to dismantle Hamas together with Egypt,” he said. “They are not mediators; they are owners of the business. They have to deliver results.”
Ciddi remains skeptical that Israel will accept any Turkish presence in uniform. “In Israel’s eyes, Turkish troops in Gaza would be a way to re-legitimize Hamas,” he said. “That’s a hard line.”
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As the ceasefire takes effect, Erdogan’s dramatic delay in the air has already delivered what he wanted most: a leading role. What happens next will determine whether Turkey turns that spectacle into real power, or whether Israel and Washington find a way to keep it going.
