Hamas leaders set eyes on Turkey as Gaza battlefield proves deadly

The planned move comes after reports that Hamas officials in Qatar were looking to relocate to Turkey.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 23, 2024 12:38

A man waves Turkey's national flag during the Democracy and Martyrs Rally, organized by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and supported by ruling AK Party (AKP), oppositions Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) (photo credit: REUTERS/UMIT BEKTAS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Hamas leaders remaining in Gaza may be looking to move to Turkey, two Israeli sources told Jewish Insider on Friday. 

The potential move follows reports and subsequent denials that Doha was booting Hamas out of Qatar for failing to come to a ceasefire agreement - and the officials would be relocating to Turkey. 

Despite officials denying the report, an Israeli and a senator told JI that two Hamas officials had already left Qatar.

Senators. Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) said in a joint statement that it was “disappointing that Turkey has welcomed Hamas leaders with open arms following Qatar’s eviction of these terrorists.”

The senators called it “unbecoming of a NATO member to harbor foreign designated terrorists with allied blood and hostages on its hands, particularly ones who have already been criminally indicted.”

Palestinians supporters of Hamas attend an anti-Israel rally in the presence of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, on May 25, 2021 (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

The potential move comes after the elimination of most of Hamas’s senior leadership, including the terror organization's leader, Yahya Sinwar.

Israel-Hamas War 

Hamas started a war with Israel, which ignited regional tensions, after it broke an existing ceasefire on October 7 of last year. Hamas invaded southern Israel, murdered some 1200 people, and abducted over 250 hostages.

The resulting war, according to the United Nations and multiple official bodies, has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas-run health authorities in the enclave have claimed over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war - although they do not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.