Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash

Tensions between Israel and Turkey are rising amid competing visions for Gaza’s reconstruction and widening strategic friction in Syria, even as both countries remain embedded in a U.S.-led diplomatic framework following the ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel has made clear it will not allow Turkish armed forces to operate inside Gaza, viewing Ankara as a destabilizing actor despite its public efforts to present itself as a reconstruction partner. Turkish sources told Fox News Digital that Ankara does not seek to deploy troops in Gaza, instead focusing on humanitarian aid, infrastructure projects and political influence. 

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said Israel views Turkey as a strategic threat rather than a neutral actor. 

“From Israel’s point of view, Turkey is the arsonist behaving like the firefighter in Gaza,” Diker told Fox News Digital. “If Turkey is allowed to enter Gaza with several thousand armed men, you can guarantee that this Muslim Brotherhood country will destabilize Gaza and dismantle the very 20-point plan that President Trump has bet the farm on.”

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Diker said Erdogan’s ambitions extend beyond Gaza, pointing to Turkey’s military presence in northwestern Syria and what he described as Ankara’s long-standing role enabling radical Islamist groups inside the country.

In Trump’s remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Monday at his press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he repeatedly praised Erdogan and downplayed concerns about a possible Israel-Turkey confrontation.

“I know President Erdogan very well… he’s a very good friend of mine,” Trump said. “Bibi respects him… They’re not going to have a problem. Nothing’s going to happen.” Netanyahu smiled and didn’t comment.

At the same time, Trump aligned himself publicly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza’s future, issuing his strongest statement yet that Hamas must disarm.

“They made an agreement that they were going to disarm,” Trump said. “If they’re not going to disarm, those same countries will go and wipe out Hamas.”

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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) delivers remarks during a meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

According to Diker, the president is deliberately managing tensions with Ankara by keeping Erdogan inside the diplomatic framework rather than confronting him publicly.

“President Trump is very, very good at keeping adversaries close, together with allies,” Diker said. “That’s why he keeps saying that he likes Erdogan. He wants to keep Erdogan in the party. He wants to keep him close.”

Diker said Trump understands his own leverage in the region and believes he can coalesce Arab and Muslim states when it serves U.S. and Israeli interests, citing coordination during the first phase of the hostage deal.

Diker said Netanyahu is now walking a narrow line, trying not to undermine the framework Trump has built while ensuring Israel’s security red lines are maintained.

The IDF announced that as part of the ceasefire agreement and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon, IDF troops under the Southern Command have begun marking the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to establish tactical clarity on the ground. (IDF)

“Israel will not allow Turkish Armed Forces in Gaza. It’s not going to happen,” Diker said, adding that Israel may still be forced into limited compromises to preserve Trump’s broader support, particularly on Iran.

Beyond Gaza, Israel sees Turkey’s role in Syria as a growing point of friction. Ankara maintains influence across large swaths of northern Syria, while Israel has continued air operations aimed at Iranian targets.

Sinan Ciddi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned in an analysis that Turkey views Israel-aligned regional cooperation as a direct challenge to its ambitions.

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Destroyed buildings lie in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Ciddi cited a trilateral summit between Israel, Greece and Cyprus in Jerusalem as a flashpoint, arguing it signaled resistance to Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine and broader maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Following the summit, pro-Erdogan media outlets described Israel as a major threat, while Turkey increased military activity that alarmed U.S. allies, including airspace violations near Greece and reported efforts to expand radar coverage in Syria that could hinder Israeli operations against Iran.

Diker said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland adds another layer to the rivalry, particularly in the Red Sea region. “The Turks are working in Somalia. They are also working to control and influence what happens in the Red Sea region,” Diker said. “Which is why Somaliland’s development is very, very important.”

He argued that the move gives Israel a strategic foothold along a vital maritime corridor.

“Israel then has a strategic base, a forward base in Somaliland on the Red Sea,” Diker said. “Very, very important, because it checkmates Turkey.”

Diker said the move was viewed in Ankara as a direct challenge to Turkish ambitions in the Horn of Africa, adding that the Trump administration had “expressed its understanding” of Israel’s decision.

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A Turkey-backed fighter looks out from a military position in the Syrian area of Jibrin in Aleppo’s eastern countryside, towards the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on July 19, 2022.  (Bakr Alkasem / AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric toward Israel and vocal support for the Palestinian cause, Turkish diplomatic sources say Ankara is acting pragmatically. While Turkey sees financial and political opportunity in Gaza’s reconstruction, those sources say Erdogan is aware there is little domestic appetite for sending Turkish troops into the enclave.

That gap between rhetoric and policy, analysts say, is likely to persist. As Diker put it, Trump is trying to keep the diplomatic structure intact while Israel works to contain what it sees as Turkey’s expanding regional footprint. “Trump does not want to topple the apple cart,” Diker said. “He wants to try to keep everyone together so that they can move to stage two of the 20-point plan in Gaza.”