Katz to Erdoğan: “Rolling out a red carpet for Hamas murderers” – new threat against al-Hayya after his meeting with Fidan in Ankara

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz launched a fresh attack on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday, October 11, accusing him of protecting the leadership of Hamas and warning that Israel will target Khalil al-Hayya, head of the organisation’s political bureau.

“Erdoğan continues to roll out a red carpet for the Hamas murderers and rapists and to support the terror activity they promote from Turkey, together with the Muslim Brotherhood, against Israel and against important Muslim states in the region,” Katz wrote in Hebrew on X. “We eliminated the heads of Hamas in Gaza, and al-Hayya’s turn will come too: he will be sent to meet Haniyeh and his friends in the depths of hell.”

The trigger: Hamas in Ankara

The post came two days after a high-level Hamas delegation led by al-Hayya met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Friday, October 9. According to the Palestinian Information Center, a Hamas-affiliated outlet, the delegation also included Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of the movement’s international relations office, Basem Naim, head of its Arab and Islamic relations office, and Mousa Akkari, Hamas’s representative in Türkiye. The outlet says the two sides discussed political, military and humanitarian developments in the Palestinian territories, and that al-Hayya commended Erdoğan’s support for Palestine and urged further Turkish action.

Earlier the same week, Fidan also received Syria’s foreign minister in Ankara, with Israeli strikes in Syria on the agenda. Turkey has hosted Hamas officials for years and refuses to designate the group a terrorist organisation.

Katz has repeatedly targeted the Turkish president over his ties with Hamas. In September he sarcastically urged Erdoğan to “take Hamas to Antalya”. Ismail Haniyeh, to whom the post refers, was killed in Tehran in July 2024, and Israel has struck Hamas officials outside Gaza before, including in Doha in September 2025.

Israel–Turkey tension

The threat against al-Hayya raises tempers further in relations between Israel and Turkey, which are at their lowest point in years. However, despite the daring operations Israel has carried out in other countries many times, an Israeli strike on Turkish soil would carry a different weight, since Turkey is a NATO member state.