Recep Tayyip Erdogan Says Türkiye Cannot Leave Gaza Alone, Pushes Egypt Toward Mecca Pact: how 14 outlets framed it

Erdogan linked the Gaza stance to a broader regional security push, saying Egypt could join the defence agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in Mecca, which he described as open to other countries.

Al Jazeera

In the same interview, Erdogan said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed on August 7 establishes that “an armed attack against one member will be treated as an attack against all.”

Erdogan also said Ankara is prioritising efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that its continued closure served no one’s interests.

He credited Qatar with playing an important mediating role in efforts to end the wider regional conflict, while also announcing plans to visit Syria in the coming period.

Erdogan told Al Jazeera that Egypt’s accession to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is “possible,” describing the pact as open to further members and saying it commits signatories to taking unified steps if any one of them comes under external attack.

Al Jazeera reported that the deal, also known as the Mecca Pact, was signed in the holy city last Friday by Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and it stipulates that an armed attack against any one would be treated as an attack against them all.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Council on Foreign Relations framed the Mecca Agreement as evidence that “The U.S.-Led Middle East Order Is Over,” adding that the parties have not released an official text but reports indicate a NATO Article 5-like clause.

CFR also said the security guarantee is significant because it would enjoin Saudi Arabia and Turkey to come to Pakistan’s defense in the event of a war in South Asia, and it cited a test “only forty-eight hours after the signing ceremony” when Ansar Allah fired on a Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Jazan.

Al Jazeera further reported that Erdogan spoke on tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and the wars in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon, while also saying he discussed ending the war in Lebanon with US President Donald Trump during Trump’s recent visit to Türkiye.

At a joint press conference in El Alamein, Abdelatty said “comprehensive reviews must be conducted in accordance with Egypt’s constitution and legal obligations,” while also stressing privileged relations with Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that are “not limited to the political sphere.”

In the same broader diplomatic track, TRT World reported that Erdogan said he discussed the issue with US President Donald Trump during Trump’s recent visit to Türkiye, stressing Washington’s role in ending the conflict in Lebanon.

Al Jazeera reported that Erdogan said Ankara would do everything in its power to support stability in Syria and that Syria’s Kurds would have “a share of peace and stability,” while also reiterating that Türkiye “cannot leave Gaza alone.”

The Al Jazeera interview also placed Gaza and Lebanon alongside the Mecca pact’s collective-security logic, with Erdogan saying the agreement “requires signatories to take coordinated action if any member faced external aggression” and that it was signed in Mecca last Friday.