Turkey puts ex-disaster chief in charge of Gaza aid, in sign of big new role By Reuters October 16, 20259:56 PM GMT+3Updated 30 mins ago

 

Turkey puts ex-disaster chief in charge of Gaza aid, in sign of big new role

By Reuters

October 16, 20259:56 PM GMT+3Updated 30 mins ago

Item 1 of 2 A Palestinian child among water containers, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

[1/2]A Palestinian child among water containers, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

ANKARA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Turkey has put a former head of its disaster management agency in charge of its aid to Gaza, a Foreign Ministry source said, a sign it intends to ramp up its role as a guarantor of the new ceasefire after sitting out earlier rounds of diplomacy.

President Tayyip Erdogan, a critic of Israel's assault on Gaza, joined long-term mediators Qatar and Egypt this week in signing off on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war, after largely steering clear of negotiations for two years.

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The source said former head of Turkey's AFAD disaster management authority Mehmet Gulluoglu, also a former ambassador, had been appointed as coordinator for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and travelled to the region on Wednesday.

"Turkey is mobilising all its resources to rapidly deliver aid to Gaza, establish temporary housing areas, and for Gaza's reconstruction," the source said.

Gulluoglu will conduct inspections to identify the necessary aid materials in Gaza and prioritise them, coordinate with U.N. agencies, ensure the unhindered delivery of aid from Turkey, consult with Egyptian and Jordanian officials on deliveries, work on evacuating the wounded and ramping up Turkey's medical support to Gaza, the source said.

Ankara has said it would take part in an international task force to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire accord, though details have yet to be finalised. The Turkish Defence Ministry has said 

its armed forces stand ready to take part in the task force in a military or civilian capacity as needed.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu Editing by Peter Graff

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Not:  Mehmet Güllüoglu, 2013-2017 yılları arasında Türk Kızılayı Genel Müdürlüğü görevinde bulunduğu süre zarfında Türk Kızılayı bünyesinde kurulan Göç Hizmetleri Müdürlüğü’nün ve 

daha birçok projenin hayata geçirilmesinde önemli rol oynadı. Türk Kızılayı Genel Müdürü 

olarak görev yaptığı süre zarfında 3 milyon Suriyeli misafirin Türkiye'de insani koşullarda yaşamasını sağlamaya yönelik çalışmaları yönetti.

İyi derecede İngilizce bilen Dr. Mehmet Güllüoğlu, evlidir ve iki çocuğu vardır.

Dr. Mehmet Güllüoğlu,5 Ağustos 2017 tarihinde Başbakanlık Afet ve Acil 

Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (AFAD) görevine atandı. 8 Aralık 2020 tarihine kadar Afet 

ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (AFAD) görevini yaptı.

Dr. Güllüoğlu, aynı zamanda Cumhurbaşkanlığı Sosyal Politikalar Kurulu Üyesi olarak 

çalışmalarını ifa etmektedir.

8 Aralık 2020 tarihinde Tanzanya Darüsselam Büyükelçisi olarak atandı.

AFAD Başkanlığı yaptıktan sonra Tanzanya Büyükelçiliği’ne atanan Dr. Mehmet Güllüoğlu, 

6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde olan Deprem ile ilgili çalışmalarda görev almak amacıyla 

Dışişleri Bakanlığı’nca Türkiye’ye çağrıldı. Güllüoğlu, 7 Şubat 2023 tarihinde 

Adana merkezli çalışmaları koordine etti.