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As President Donald Trump celebrated the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, he singled out one leader for extraordinary praise – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose leadership he credited for helping deliver the Gaza ceasefire.
“A guy who’s been a friend of mine for a long time. I don’t know why I like the tough people better than the soft, easy ones,” 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 U.S. policy, and had avoided a leading diplomatic role in ending the war.
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“You have to ask yourself what has changed,” a former senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News Digital. “What prompted him, two years later, to return to the arena of power? The most iconic image is him sitting next to Trump at the U.N. — that’s where the seeds were planted. Why did Trump suddenly seat him by his side? He was likely told, ‘He’s the one who can bring us Hamas.’”
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 — might attend the summit. The Turkish president only agreed to land once it was confirmed that the Israeli leader would not be present.
“It was classic Erdogan theater,” said Sinan Ciddi, senior fellow and director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “He likely knew Netanyahu was expected, especially because the U.S. president was there. But refusing to land until Netanyahu was out gives him domestic political capital and boosts his image across parts of the Muslim world.”
Ciddi also recalled a moment he said was telling about Erdogan’s public posture. He referred to an appearance on Fox News where Erdogan stated, “I don’t consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, but a resistance movement,” adding that he made the remark on American cable television, on American soil, “without facing repercussions.”
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Ciddi said Erdogan’s ambitions now go far beyond diplomacy. “He wants Turkish construction companies to rebuild Gaza, Turkish troops to take part in any enforcement mission, and Turkey to serve 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 seat at every table discussing Gaza’s future.”
But Ciddi also explains Turkey’s ambitions in Gaza are part of a wider strategic calculus, “Trump’s demands from Erdogan regarding the F-35 were not just predicated on Gaza,” he said. “They 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 resisted parts of that package, “But by helping Trump deliver a ceasefire, Erdogan is trying to rebuild trust with Washington — and prove that Turkey can once again be a useful NATO partner.”
Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel think tank, told Fox News Digital that “From Israel’s perspective, an Iranian land bridge from Tehran westward through Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel must not exist. Iran remains the biggest challenge,” Golov said. “But into that vacuum we now see the Muslim Brotherhood axis led by Turkey and Qatar. Qatar brings the money; Turkey brings influence as a regional power.”
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Golov, who previously served as a Senior Director at Israel’s National Security Council, added that Washington’s early effort to center the post-war framework on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has faded. “In the current deal, 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 on the Syrian Golan Heights will get him in Gaza.”
He said Israel and the U.S. should counterbalance Ankara’s rise by re-energizing cooperation with the Gulf. “Israel has what Qatar and Turkey don’t — technology and credibility,” Golov said. “If Israel links its innovation with Gulf energy and resources, it can build a regional hub that strengthens the pro-American camp and weakens both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.”
A former Israeli official said Washington should treat Turkey and Qatar as stakeholders, not 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.”
Ciddi remains skeptical that Israel will accept any Turkish uniformed presence. “In Israel’s eyes, Turkish forces in Gaza would be a pathway to re-legitimizing Hamas,” he said. “That’s a hard line.”
As the ceasefire takes hold, Erdogan’s dramatic delay in the sky has already delivered what he wanted most — a starring role. What happens next will determine whether Turkey turns that spectacle into real power, or whether Israel and Washington find a way to keep him grounded.
Fox News Digital asked the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment, but none was provided.
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