Israeli leaders express outrage and alarm over inclusion of Turkey, Qatar into Gaza Executive Board

Following the announcement of the Board of Peace to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip by U.S. President Donald Trump, and the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in another council just under the Board of Peace, Israeli politicians reacted strongly, with many criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

According to a White House announcement, the interim body called the Gaza Executive Board will operate between the Board of Peace and the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, of the Yesh Atid party, called the Gaza board’s composition a “diplomatic failure of the Netanyahu government.” 

“For a whole year now I’ve been telling the government: ‘If you don’t advance the Egyptian solution with the US and the world, you’ll end up with Turkey and Qatar in Gaza,’” Lapid posted in Hebrew to 𝕏. 

“Last night the composition of the “Peace Council” was published – Turkey is in, Qatar is in, and according to the IDF, Hamas still has 30,000 armed men in Gaza,” he continued. “This is a complete diplomatic failure of the Netanyahu government after the endless heroism and sacrifice of the soldiers and commanders of the IDF.” 

In a video message, Lapid added, “The ideological partners of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood will govern the Strip. Netanyahu is allowing the entrance of Turkey and Qatar into Gaza. This endangers the security of Israel. It was not for this that our fighters and heroes fought for two years.” 

The announcement of the Gaza Executive Board led to an unusual statement by the Prime Minister's Office against the United States, in which the PMO announced that the move had not been coordinated with Israel. 

“The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy,” the statement said.

Right wing opposition member and head of Yisrael Beytenu Avigdor Liberman also slammed the inclusion of Qatar and Turkey, calling it a “total disgrace.” 

“Ran Gvili in Gaza, Hamas rules Gaza, and the Muslim Brotherhood – Turkey and Qatar – will rebuild Gaza. Total disgrace!” Liberman posted to 𝕏. 

The Democrats chair Yair Golan, called the result “a leadership problem.” 

“There is no coordination problem here – there is a leadership problem,” Golan wrote to social media. “The Netanyahu-Smotrich government has deliberately abandoned the political arena. The IDF provided Israel with maneuverability and achievements, and the Netanyahu government threw them in the trash and allowed Qatar and Turkey – the financiers of Hamas – to enter Gaza.” 

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, “The entry into Gaza of Qatar and Turkey, which support and finance Hamas, rewards Hamas for the October 7 massacre, endangers the security of Israel's citizens, and sends a serious message to all the peoples of the region that the massacre of Jews yields political and military achievements.” 

Gadi Eisenkot, former IDF Chief of Staff and head of the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu of placing political considerations ahead of national security, saying, “We sat down and warned that the absence of Israeli initiative and decision-making on "the day after" in Gaza would lead to a loss of control, and today reality is exploding in our faces: Netanyahu has lost the reins – other countries are the ones managing Gaza over Israel's head, with Turkey and Qatar being part of the governing body. The transition to Phase II after military achievements at heavy costs is being carried out as an international dictate imposed on Israel, out of a leadership and strategic vacuum, and politicians motivated by narrow political considerations.” 

Even coalition members were highly critical of the announcement, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich taking the unusual step of directly criticizing Netanyahu.  

“The original sin is the Prime Minister's unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza, to establish a military government there, to encourage immigration and settlement,” Smotrich said. “This refusal gave rise to the need for strange constructions for managing civilian life in Gaza that are not Hamas and not the PA. But even under this assumption, there must be red lines: the countries that inspired Hamas cannot be the ones that replace it. Those who support it and continue to host it even now will not be granted a foothold in Gaza. Period.” 

Minister of Aliyah and Absorption Ofir Sofer said, “Israel must oppose the entry of Qatar and Turkey into the administration of Gaza. This is a fundamental security interest, no less important than the insistence on control of the Philadelphi Corridor. Israel should tell its closest friend, ‘No, This is a real danger to the security of the state.’” 

Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli strongly attacked Turkey in a post, saying that “Israel cannot and will not accept the presence of such a terror state on its borders.” However, Chikli did not criticize either Netanyahu or Trump directly. 

Erdogan’s Turkey is Hamas.

Erdogan has transformed Turkey from a democracy into an outright dictatorship.

He dismantled the secular republic envisioned by Atatürk and replaced it with a Muslim Brotherhood–style jihadist state.

He turned Turkey from a peace-seeking nation into… pic.twitter.com/AoRXdh8PvV

— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) January 17, 2026

In an interview with Army Radio, Transportation Minister Miri Regev expressed concern over the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar, but did not blame either Trump or Netanyahu. 

"There is no doubt that this worries us, Trump is a great friend of Israel but does not coordinate everything with Netanyahu – we will do everything possible to change the decision, I don't know if we will succeed," Regev said in the interview. 

Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yaakov Amidror, former head of the National Security Council, told 103FM on Sunday morning that “Turkey is a country that truly dislikes Israel, and its leader is a Muslim Brotherhood member. That is precisely why it should not be in Gaza.” 

He also criticized the U.S., saying, “The Americans have decided to ignore the needs of the State of Israel in this area and are acting against our interests. Israel must stand up for itself as much as possible. In the end, we must dismantle Hamas by force, and the Qataris and the Turks think exactly the opposite.”