The government of Turkey offered a warm welcome to a delegation representing the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas on Wednesday, expressing support for its cause and accusing the government of Israel of “genocide” for engaging in self-defense operations against the group.
Muhammad Ismail Darwish, the head of the Hamas Islamic “shura council,” met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara to “discuss developments in ceasefire negotiations and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Darwish is one of the few remaining high-ranking leaders within Hamas after several Israeli operations targeting both the “political” and “military” leadership of the group. “Political” leader Ismail Haniyeh died in an explosion in Tehran in July 2024; Israeli soldiers eliminated Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar in October.
Hamas is a genocidal, Iran-backed terrorist organization whose objective is the destruction of the Israeli people. The current conflict between it and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and engaged in the wanton massacre of civilians, engaging in atrocities such as gang rape, infanticide, torture, and desecration of corpses. An estimated 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attacks.
The Turkish government has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the horrors of the Hamas attack, condemning Israel for responding to the attack. Islamist Turkish strongman leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly insisted that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” and that its genocidal cause is just.
Foreign Minister Fidan reportedly told Darwish that Turkey’s “priority is to stop the massacre in Gaza,” referring to Israeli operations to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack, “and to ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid.”
“He underlined that Türkiye would not allow the recent tensions in the region to divert attention from the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Hurriyet quoted Fidan as stating that Turkey would support Hamas “until Palestine is free.”
Turkey most recently welcomed a similar Hamas delegation, again led by Darwish, in January. On that occasion, Erdogan himself participated in the meetings.
“Hamas’ 471-day struggle has demonstrated once again the spirit of resistance will not disappear,” Erdogan declared in remarks during the encounter. “We will continue exposing the realities in Gaza.”
As of Thursday, Hamas leaders are studying a ceasefire proposal with Israel, brokered by the United States. Reports citing sources allegedly knowledgeable about the content of the deal have indicated that Israel is willing to accept a 60-day pause in hostilities in exchange for the release of several October 7 hostages. The Israeli government believes that Hamas is still holding 50 hostages, 20 of them alive.
The Hamas terrorists are expected to respond within the next day. President Donald Trump weighed in on Tuesday, encouraging Hamas to accept an agreement to pause the war.
“Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War” Trump wrote on his website Truth Social. “The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal.”
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he concluded.
While reports do not indicate that Turkey has taken on any role in the negotiations towards a ceasefire, Ankara has consistently been one of Hamas’s most prominent and vocal state supporters. Erdogan responded to the October 7 attack by rapidly organizing a massive rally in Istanbul in support of Hamas, disregarding the mass killing its members had just concluded.
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization,” Erdogan declared during the “Great Istanbul Rally,” declaring the Israeli state a “war criminal” for recognizing and responding to the Hamas attack.
Erdogan faced significant pressure to reject Hamas, given Turkey’s status as one of the most formidable armies in NATO and its longtime aspirations to join the European Union. The Turkish leader refused to do so, insisting that Hamas was merely a “political party” that represented the “reality of Palestine” and indicating that supporting Hamas was pertinent to “Turkey’s interests.” Hamas has not won an election since 2006 and actively persecutes Palestinians in Gaza who reject it.
In anonymous remarks to the Emirati newspaper The National published on Wednesday, Palestinians blamed Hamas’s terrorism for destroying the Gaza Strip and accused the party of having no interest in their wellbeing.
“[Hamas] present themselves as victorious, but the truth is, they lost the moment this war began,” one unnamed Palestinian from Gaza told the newspaper. “They should have handed over the hostages to strip Israel of its excuse. Instead, they provoked the world and ignored our suffering.”
“I’ve lost everything. What has Hamas done for me? Nothing,” another Palestinian lamented. “Their leaders issue statements and videos that ignore our suffering entirely.”
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