Turkish President Erdogan is considered a supporter of the radical Islamic Hamas. Now he received their head of foreign affairs, Hanija, in Istanbul. Erdogan promised further humanitarian aid. He again made serious accusations against Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met the foreign chief of the militant Islamist Hamas, Ismail Hanija, in Istanbul. The two spoke, among other things, about humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire, as Erdogan’s office said in a statement Message on X wrote.
Accordingly, Turkey supported diplomatic efforts during the meeting with the aim of an immediate ceasefire. The Turkish head of state also pledged to continue humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. Turkey also wants to continue to work for an independent Palestinian state. This is the “key to regional peace.” Erdogan called on the Palestinians to unity: unity and integrity are “the strongest answer to Israel and the path to victory.”
Erdogan sits on an armchair in his office in the Dolmabahce Palace, with Hamas leader Hanija and his delegation sitting to his left. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin also took part in the meeting, which lasted approximately two hours.
Erdogan continues to make serious accusations against Israel
According to the statement, Erdogan also stated that “Israel will definitely one day pay the price for the oppression of the Palestinians.” The hostages held by Hamas are not mentioned in the statement.
Despite Erdogan’s verbal attacks against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Turkey has recently made greater efforts to play a mediating role in the Gaza war. Foreign Minister Fidan had already met Hanija on Wednesday during a visit to Qatar. According to Turkish media, it was also about the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Earlier this week, Erdogan had once again attacked Netanyahu and accused him of committing a “massacre” in the Gaza Strip. Israel has repeatedly and firmly rejected Erdogan’s statements.
Erdogan sees Hamas as “Resistance group”
Erdogan has been one of Israel’s harshest critics since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. The Turkish president considers Hamas a “resistance group.” According to Israeli information, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip in its major attack on Israel on October 7th.
Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip and has set itself the goal of destroying Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 34,000 people have been killed so far, including many children. However, the numbers cannot be independently confirmed.