Turkey is reported to have asked senior Hamas leaders to leave its territory on the day the terrorist organization launched major attacks inside Israel, according to reports from Arab media. Following this request, many of Hamas’s top officials in Turkey departed.
Recent reports from Al Monitor state that Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and his team were asked to leave after videos surfaced on social media showing him expressing gratitude while watching the attack on television in Istanbul. The current whereabouts of Khaled Meshaal, another leading figure of Hamas, remain uncertain. He recently appeared in an interview on Haberturk TV, most likely from Turkey. Other top Hamas officials are located in Qatar, Lebanon, and Gaza.
Hamas leaders residing in Turkey have been a point of contention between Turkey and Israel. Contrary to this information, some sources suggest that the communication of the Turkish leadership with the Hamas leadership was over the phone, implying that the Palestinian officials were not in Turkey from the start. Others report that the stay of Hamas leadership members in Turkey was temporary, so their departure was already planned.
The Middle East Eye, quoting a Palestinian living in Turkey, reports that while many Hamas officials have been relocated to Qatar, they were not forced out of Turkey but moved mainly to attend meetings in Qatar. The Turkish presidency, in its post on [x (Twitter)], denied claims that Hamas leaders were asked to leave the country. Furthermore, the ruling AKP party announced the participation of Erdoğan in an upcoming pro-Palestine event in Istanbul.
It should be noted that a few days ago, Israel recalled all its diplomats from Turkey for security reasons.
