ISTANBUL: Gaza’s future must be Palestinian-led and avoid any new system of tutelage, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and 5 other countries said on Monday after talks in Istanbul.
“Our principle is that Palestinians should govern the Palestinians and ensure their own security; the international community should support this in the best possible way — diplomatically, institutionally and economically,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the talks.
“Nobody wants to see a new system of tutelage emerge,” he told a news conference.
The talks also involved top diplomats from Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived earlier on Monday in Istanbul to participate in the ministerial meeting.
The seven countries were called to a meeting with President Donald Trump in September on the margins of the UN General Assembly, just days before he unveiled his plan to end the Gaza war.
Brokered by President Trump, the Oct. 10 ceasefire has been tested by fresh Israeli strikes.
Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities.
Medics said one of those killed was a woman.
Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said it received 45 bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel, whose bodies were in Israeli custody.
The Istanbul talks also focused on the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
Countries are still working on a UN Security Council mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza, and will decide on any troop deployments once a framework is complete, Fidan said.
