Türkiye, Muslim Allies Say Palestinian Self-rule Key to Gaza Future

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference after a ministerial meeting on Gaza, in Istanbul, Türkiye, November 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference after a ministerial meeting on Gaza, in Istanbul, Türkiye, November 3, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Türkiye, Muslim Allies Say Palestinian Self-rule Key to Gaza Future

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference after a ministerial meeting on Gaza, in Istanbul, Türkiye, November 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference after a ministerial meeting on Gaza, in Istanbul, Türkiye, November 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Gaza's future must be Palestinian-led and avoid any new system of tutelage, Türkiye and six of its top Muslim allies said Monday after talks in Istanbul.  

Türkiye, which played a central role in forging the now shaky three-week-old ceasefire, is pushing for Muslim nations to bring their influence to bear on the reconstruction of the embattled territory.  

"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," Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the talks.  

"Nobody wants to see a new system of tutelage emerge," he told a news conference. 

Brokered by US President Donald Trump, the October 10 ceasefire, which halted two years of continuous bloodshed, has been tested by fresh Israeli strikes and claims of Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers.  

The talks involved top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia.  

All of them were called to a meeting with Trump in September on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, just days before he unveiled his plan to end the Gaza war. 

"We've now reached an extremely critical stage: we do not want the genocide in Gaza to resume," Fidan added, saying all seven nations supported plans for the Palestinians to take control of Gaza's security and governance.  

Fidan, who held talks at the weekend with a Hamas delegation led by its chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, said the movement was "ready to hand Gaza to a committee of Palestinians".  

He also expressed hope that reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, "will bear fruit as soon as possible," saying inter-Palestinian unity would "strengthen Palestine's representation in the international community".  

Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Hamas was "determined to adhere to the (truce) agreement" and urged Muslim states to play "a leading role" in Gaza's recovery.  

"We believe the reconstruction plan prepared by the Arab League and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) should be implemented immediately," he said of the plan unveiled in March. 

Türkiye has been instrumental in backing Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza. 

Fidan said it was crucial that the emerging International Stabilization Force that will monitor the Gaza ceasefire under Trump's plan, have a "mandate defined by a UN Security Council resolution and a framework for legitimacy".  

Washington is currently working with Arab and international partners to decide on the composition of the force, with Türkiye hoping to play a role, despite fierce opposition from Israel.  

"The countries we've spoken with say they will decide whether to send troops based on ... the ISF's mandate and authority," Fidan said.  

"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," he said of a blocking move frequently used by key Israel ally Washington. 

Israel has long viewed Türkiye’s diplomatic overtures with suspicion over Ankara's close ties with Hamas and adamantly opposes it joining the task force that is meant to take over after Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.  

A Turkish disaster relief team, sent to help efforts to recover the remains of those trapped under the rubble, including Israeli hostages seized by Hamas, has been stuck at the border because of Israel's refusal to let them in, according to Ankara. 



Syria Reportedly Foiled ISIS Plots on Sharaa's Life

FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
TT

Syria Reportedly Foiled ISIS Plots on Sharaa's Life

FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylyov/Pool via REUTERS

Syria has foiled two separate ISIS plots to assassinate President Ahmed al-Sharaa, two senior officials said.

The sources, a senior Syrian security official and a senior Middle Eastern official, said the plots on Sharaa's life were foiled over the last few months.

According to Reuters, the sources said that, in one case, the ISIS plot was centered around a pre-announced official engagement involving Sharaa, declining to provide further details due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The Syrian information ministry declined to comment.

The reported plots came to light as Syria is poised to join a US-led global anti-ISIS coalition when US President Donald Trump hosts Sharaa on Monday for a historic White House meeting, the first ever by a Syrian head of state.

Over the weekend, the Syrian interior ministry launched a nationwide campaign targeting ISIS cells across the country, apprehending more than 70 suspects, government media said.

The senior Syrian security official said they were acting on intelligence that the group was planning operations against the government and Syrian minority groups.

It was also intended as a message that Syrian intelligence have deeply penetrated the group and that joining the coalition would bring a major asset to global operations against the militants.


Gaza Health Officials Say Israel Handed Over the Bodies of 15 Palestinians 

Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
TT

Gaza Health Officials Say Israel Handed Over the Bodies of 15 Palestinians 

Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)
Palestinians sit outside their make shift homes along a road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on November 9, 2025, following a US-brokered truce that halted the two-year war. (AFP)

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.

"The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under the hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the ministry said.

They were returned in exchange for the remains of Israeli officer Lieutenant Hadar Goldin handed back to Israel the day before. Goldin was killed in the 2014 Gaza war.

Meanwhile, US envoy Jared Kushner held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, the premier's office said, without providing further details.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in his office in Jerusalem with US President (Donald) Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner," Netanyahu's office said.

Israeli media reports said that Kushner's visit came as Washington presses efforts to ensure that the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza holds.


One Dead in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
TT

One Dead in Israeli Strike in South Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People gather as smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo

An Israeli strike on a main highway in southern Lebanon killed one person Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel intensifies attacks on the country.

Over the weekend, strikes killed five other people, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of rearming.

"An Israeli strike on a car in the area of Baissariyeh killed one person," the health ministry said Monday.

An AFP journalist saw a bombed out car on the road linking the cities of Sidon and Tyre, with traffic piling up as rescuers worked to retrieve the remains.

Despite a ceasefire in place since November 2024, Israel has kept up attacks on Lebanon, where it continues to hold five positions.

The European Union on Saturday joined a growing chorus of condemnation of Israel's intensified strikes, urging "to cease all actions that violate... the ceasefire agreement reached a year ago.”