Turkey says Gaza administration, police force should come before Hamas disarmament in ceasefire deal

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference. (AP photo)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday that a credible Palestinian civil administration and a vetted, trained police force should be in place to allow Hamas to disarm, saying the group is prepared to hand over governance of the enclave.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said that without those initial steps, expecting Hamas to disarm in the first phase of the ceasefire deal is neither “realistic nor doable.”

He said the proposed police force would exclude Hamas members and would be backed by an international stabilisation force. He added that Washington was pressing Israel over Turkey’s bid to join the force.

Fidan warned that failure by the international community to advance the ceasefire plan to its next stage would amount to a “huge failure” for the world and for Washington, noting that US President Donald Trump had personally led the push.