President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s intervention led to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s withdrawal from Monday’s Gaza summit in Egypt, according to diplomatic sources.
“At the initiative of President Erdoğan and through Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts – with the support of other leaders – Netanyahu did not attend the meeting in Egypt,” a source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Egypt’s presidency had earlier announced that Netanyahu would join the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit, but the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office later confirmed he would not attend.
According to Turkish media outlets, President Erdoğan reacted immediately upon hearing reports of Netanyahu’s expected participation while en route to Egypt. As the Turkish presidential plane prepared to land, Erdoğan reportedly ordered the pilot to stay airborne, instructing the aircraft to circle above the Red Sea.
🇹🇷🇮🇱 | Turkey pressures and Erdogan avoids landing in Egypt over Netanyahu’s presence at the Gaza summit.
✈️ His plane circled the Red Sea until Netanyahu’s participation was canceled.
⚠️ Diplomatic tensions expose cracks in international coordination.#Turkey #Erdogan #Israel pic.twitter.com/KYArxNb3x3
— Law Of Truth (@LawOfTruth_) October 13, 2025
During that time, news broke that Netanyahu had canceled his trip. Erdoğan’s plane then resumed its approach and landed in Sharm el-Sheikh. The summit, hosted by Egypt, brought together regional and international leaders to discuss the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and explore steps toward de-escalation.
Meanwhile, Israeli daily Israel Hayom reported that news of Netanyahu’s planned attendance at the summit was met with strong opposition among the leaders, several of whom warned they would boycott the meeting if he took part.
JUST IN:
Turkish President Erdogan refused to land in Egypt after reports that Netanyahu would attend the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit.
Erdogan’s plane circled over the Red Sea instead of landing, and touched down only after Netanyahu’s participation was cancelled. pic.twitter.com/WSQzsVBgK4— Datozaki (@datomzaki) October 13, 2025
The daily also reported that President Erdoğan made it clear that he would turn his plane back to Ankara should Netanyahu arrive at the summit. The report said Erdoğan’s warning proved effective, leading Netanyahu to withdraw from the meeting despite encouragement from Trump.
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