Turkey’s relations with Hamas, once considered a disadvantage by Washington, have now developed into a geopolitical asset. By persuading Hamas to accept Donald Trump’s Gaza deal, Ankara is repositioning itself as a “player” on the Middle East geopolitical chessboard, with Israel and some Arab countries resenting it.

The initial reluctance of Hamas leaders to bow to the American president’s ultimatum – release the Israeli hostages or the destruction will continue – only subsided when Turkey, which they consider their political patron, urged them to agree to the American plan.

Ankara’s message, according to two regional sources and two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters, was clear: “It’s time to accept (it).”

Her contribution was also recognized by the American president. “This gentleman, from a place called Turkey, is one of the most powerful people in the world,” Trump said last week, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and a hostage swap for Palestinian prisoners. “He is a reliable ally. He’s always there when I need him,” Trump added.

Erdogan’s signature on the Gaza document dramatically boosted Turkey’s ambition to regain a central role in the Middle East, something the Turkish leader has increasingly pursued, often citing Ottoman-era ties.

Now, after the deal, Ankara is seeking diplomatic and political gains, including in bilateral relations with the United States, according to the sources cited by Reuters.

Sinan Ulgen, director of the Turkish think tank EDAM and senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, believes that Ankara’s success in securing Hamas’s consent to the Trump plan boosts Turkey’s diplomatic prestige at home and abroad.

According to him, Turkey is likely to use the warming of its relations with Washington to promote the purchase of American F-35 fighter jets, achieve relaxation of American sanctions and ask for American support to achieve its goals in Syria.

“If Trump’s laudatory statements ‘translate’ into a favorable climate with duration, Ankara can use this momentum to resolve some long-standing differences” between the two countries, Ulgen added to Reuters.

The beginning of a new Trump-Erdogan relationship

The diplomatic rapprochement between Ankara and Washington, officials say, began when Erdogan visited the White House in September, the first in six years.

The meeting focused on resolving a series of issues that have eroded relations between the two countries, including Turkey’s desire to lift sanctions imposed on it in 2020 over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, a move that angered Washington and led to Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 production program.

Syria was also a key topic of the meeting. Ankara wants to pressure the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into joining the Syrian army, seeing them as a threat because of their ties to the PKK, which Turkey labels a terrorist organization.

This effort seems to be paying off. The head of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, confirmed the creation of a fusion mechanism with the Syrian army, a development that Ankara considers a strategic victory.

The Gaza agreement comes to be added to other diplomatic “gains” of Turkey. Trump had praised Erdogan for hosting Russia-Ukraine talks earlier this year, while Ankara’s influence has increased since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2024, where Turkey had backed anti-regime forces.

Ankara’s ambition to regain a leading role in the Middle East evokes for some skeptics memories of the Ottoman Empire, which once dominated the region. Its collapse, a century ago, led to an introverted Turkey that was building a secular democracy and remained on the sidelines of regional developments.

For years, Ankara has shied away from high-level peace initiatives on the Palestinian issue, one of the most explosive hotbeds of instability in the region. And its support for Islamist movements – such as political and diplomatic cover for Hamas, whose leaders it has hosted – burdened its relations with Israel and several Arab states, while its deviation under Erdogan from NATO standards removed it from the role of “peacemaker”.

However, to break the deadlock in Gaza truce negotiations, Trump turned to Erdogan, banking on his influence with Hamas. Turkish officials, led by MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin, have assured Hamas that the cease-fire has regional and American support, and is even more personally guaranteed by Trump.

By involving Erdogan, Trump effectively offered Ankara the role it craved: that of the dominant Sunni power in the region. The move has alarmed Israel and Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have long viewed the Turkish leader’s Islamic ambitions with suspicion, according to two diplomats cited by Reuters.

“Erdogan is a master at expanding his influence, taking advantage of opportunities, turning events to his advantage and reaping the results,” comments Arab political analyst Ayman Abdel Nour. “Obviously, the Gulf countries were not happy about Turkey taking a leading role in Gaza, but they also wanted the conflict to end, an agreement to be reached and Hamas contained.”

Lebanese analyst Sarkis Naoum adds that although Arab countries, like Turkey, wanted the war to end, Ankara’s enhanced role has raised concerns as it brings back memories of Ottoman rule in many of those countries.

Turkey’s foreign ministry and MIT intelligence agency did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The State Department also had no comment.

As for Hamas, the main concern is that Israel will renege on the agreement and resume military operations, a deep mistrust that has nearly derailed the ceasefire process, according to regional sources.

“The only real guarantee,” as a senior Hamas official told Reuters, “was given by four parties: Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and the Americans. Trump personally gave his speech. The US message was: ‘Free the hostages, hand over the bodies, and I guarantee there will be no return to war’.”

Overwhelming pressure on Hamas

Israel had initially rejected Turkey’s participation in the talks, but Trump intervened personally, pressuring Tel Aviv to allow Ankara to get involved, according to two diplomats cited by Reuters.

Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to the agency’s request for comment on the reports.

As for Hamas, a senior official of the Palestinian organization said that its military leaders accepted the truce not as a “surrender” but under the weight of overwhelming diplomatic pressure, humanitarian crisis and population fatigue from the war.

The deal secured the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped in the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people and triggered an Israeli offensive that, according to Gaza health authorities, has now left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead.

Whether the Gaza deal will ultimately pave the way for a Palestinian state remains uncertain. Turkey and Arab states such as Qatar and Egypt say the plan does not include a clear roadmap for a two-state solution, which has been a longstanding Palestinian demand.

Asked about the possibility of deploying Turkish troops to Gaza after the war and ways to ensure security in the region, Erdogan said on October 8 that ceasefire talks are critical to discuss the issue in detail, but the priority right now is a complete ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza.