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- Erdogan hosts terrorist Hamas delegation in Ankara
Erdogan hosts terrorist Hamas delegation in Ankara
The Turkish president, who has ramped up criticism towards Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza, maintains his support for the Palestinian terrorist group
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Muhammad Ismail Darwish, a senior official from Hamas, in Ankara on Wednesday, in a meeting that also included Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, intelligence services chief Ibrahim Kalin, and other Hamas officials, according to a statement from the presidential office.
This meeting is in line with Erdogan's openly-expressed support for Hamas. Last April, the Turkish president met Ismail Haniyeh, then-head of Hamas' political bureau, in Istanbul. Following this meeting, Erdogan emphasized the importance of Palestinian unity, stating that "the strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity."
Haniyeh was eliminated in Tehran in July, an operation for which Israel only acknowledged responsibility last month.
A few weeks after his meeting with Haniyeh, Erdogan publicly announced that more than a thousand Hamas members were being treated in Turkish hospitals. He also criticized Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for calling Hamas a terrorist organization.
Relations between Turkey and Israel, which were on the path to normalization after years of , have significantly deteriorated since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Erdogan has ramped up criticism of Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza, undermining previous diplomatic efforts aimed at improving bilateral relations.