Washington, January 15, 2026 – The Europe Today: A US official on Wednesday acknowledged Türkiye’s pivotal role in achieving the Gaza ceasefire, as US President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory moves into its second phase.
“Türkiye has played a very integral role in getting to this ceasefire,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “President Trump is very grateful to that.”
The official highlighted the involvement of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and National Intelligence Director Ibrahim Kalin, noting their close collaboration with the US in the process. “They’ve all been very intimately involved, and they’ve done an incredible job working with us,” the official said.
The Trump administration expressed hopes that Türkiye and Israel would work to rebuild their bilateral relationship, describing it as an important component of regional stability.
The comments followed an announcement by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, that the ceasefire plan is entering phase two, which shifts focus to Gaza’s demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.
“Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” Witkoff said in a statement on the social media platform X.
Witkoff emphasized that the US expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations under the agreement, including “the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,” warning that failure to do so would carry “serious consequences.”
One official described the launch of phase two as “really a big deal,” noting that the US has developed a “really good plan for the redevelopment of Gaza,” which could be “game changing” for the Palestinian territory.
