Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, held a high-level meeting on 1 November 2025 with senior members of Hamas’s Political Bureau in Istanbul as preparation for an upcoming gathering of guarantor nations to be convened there. Anadolu Ajansi Daily Sabah
What happened According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan and Hamas representatives met and discussed issues including the status of ceasefire in Gaza Strip, humanitarian challenges there and preparations for forthcoming talks among guarantor countries. Its Daily Sabah reported this as being key discussion.
Fidan later confirmed that on Monday the foreign ministers from eight Muslim-majority nations, including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE Jordan Pakistan and Indonesia would meet in Istanbul to discuss “how to progress to the second stage” of Gaza truce talks. (Source Reuters).
Why This Meeting Is Significant
Turkey’s meeting with Hamas ahead of Guarantor talks demonstrates Ankara’s active mediation role in the Gaza conflict. By including Hamas leaders into international peace efforts, Turkey can position itself as an intermediary.
The cease-fire agreement, which took effect earlier, remains tenuous. Although Hamas released hostages and Israel released prisoners, many issues pertaining to reconstruction, governance of Gaza and stabilisation mechanisms remain unresolved.
Anadolu Ajansi
Guarantor talks in Istanbul will focus on three primary issues: creating a stabilization force, guaranteeing humanitarian access and deciding how to govern and secure Gaza in the future. Turkey met with Hamas in order to align them with wider diplomatic processes; an opportunity presented itself when meeting Hamas. Ilkha.com
Key Issues on the Table (Ilkha.com +1).
At this meeting and prior to larger discussions, a number of crucial issues were brought up:
Cease-fire Sustainability: Hamas and Turkey met to discuss ways of maintaining their current cease-fire agreement and avoiding full-scale conflict in Gaza. Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Humanitarian Relief: Gaza’s destruction has put tremendous strain on humanitarian assistance delivery and reconstruction, prompting Turkey to reiterate the urgency of stepping up relief efforts.
Next-Stage Planning: Talks focused on how to transition into the second phase of the Gaza agreement — such as deploying a stabilisation force and international monitoring. I24NEWS And finally, they discussed challenges and obstacles associated with implementation.
Even with such an encouraging engagement, several obstacles remain:
Israel has made known their disapproval of Turkish security forces operating in Gaza as part of any international mission, complicating Turkey’s mediation role and thus undermining Turkey’s mediation role. Arab News provides details.
Trust between Hamas, Israel and guarantor states remains tenuous; Hamas remains subject to demands related to hostages, disarmament and governance reform – all contentious issues.
Coordination between guarantor states’ positions can be complex. Each country brings their own set of strategic interests to bear on this diplomatic endeavor; aligning those interests with what is happening on the ground remains an administrative hurdle.
Conclusion
Turkey’s meeting between its foreign minister and senior Hamas leaders marks a strategic push by Ankara to position itself at the centre of Gaza’s peace process. With Guarantor-nation negotiations expected imminently, Ankara is using diplomatic relationships to shape what may become the next phase of humanitarian relief, stabilisation and governance within Gaza’s ceasefire agreement – from humanitarian relief through to stabilisation and governance. Whether such engagement will produce sustainable results remains to be seen; nevertheless this gathering marks a critical moment on Gaza’s road towards reconstruction.