NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has thanked Türkiye, the US, Egypt, and Qatar for their efforts in securing a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it “an enormous step.”
Responding to a question from Mevlut Cavusoglu, head of the Turkish delegation and a lawmaker from Türkiye’s AK Party, at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held on Monday in Slovenia, Rutte noted Ankara’s role in brokering the truce that took effect on Friday.
“I want to thank you. And through you, Türkiye, but also of course the US, Egypt, and Qatar, for the fact that the ceasefire is now taking place,” he said.
“I know that (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and his team have been working very hard on this together with the US, Egypt, and Qatar. The fact that this is now happening is an enormous step — one that hopefully inspires us in Europe and with the US to do everything to also end the war in Ukraine,” he added.
Rutte also noted that NATO must tread carefully when addressing the war in Gaza, as members hold differing views on the issue.
“In NATO, there are various perspectives when it comes to the situation in the Middle East, particularly regarding Israel and Gaza,” he said.
“NATO’s focus is on the Euro-Atlantic area, so it’s a bit outside our territory. But of course, we are closely following developments, especially because of their impact on our mission in Iraq — where Türkiye plays a big role — helping Iraqis build their own security and defence forces,” Rutte said.
Peace summit in Egypt
US President Donald Trump announced last week that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out September 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza.
The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday. Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Earlier Monday, Hamas and Israel carried out a hostage-prisoner swap deal that saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released from Israel's notorious Ofer military prison and Israeli prison facilities in the Negev Desert. All 20 living Israeli hostages were also released from captivity.
After departing Israel, Trump is expected to join over 20 world leaders for a summit in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, which he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi will co-chair.
Egypt said the summit aims “to end the war in Gaza, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.
