Some Hamas officials in Gaza may relocate to Turkey
Some of the remaining Hamas leaders in Gaza may move to Turkey, two Israeli sources told Jewish Insider this week, days after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was in Ankara.
In addition, at least two senior Hamas officials have left Qatar for Turkey, an Israeli diplomatic source and a senator briefed by Israeli officials told JI. The reports about that development are also sparking frustration on Capitol Hill, including among lawmakers who have spent months advocating for Hamas leaders to be expelled from Qatar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed openness to expelling Hamas leaders from Gaza in the past, as part of a comprehensive cease-fire including their surrender and the release of the hostages, and a source close to him said on Thursday that remains his position.
Israel has killed many of Hamas’ senior leaders, including its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The Israeli official did not provide further details on the circumstances under which Hamas leaders might be able to depart Gaza — departure from which Israel has tightly controlled since Oct. 7.
Bar traveled to Turkey to meet with Ibrahim Kalin, the country’s intelligence chief. Israeli media reporting said they discussed a possible Turkish role in negotiations to release the Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University, remained skeptical about reports that Hamas moved its leadership abroad from Qatar to Turkey.
“We have denials from Turkey and Hamas,” Milshtein said. “Six months ago [former Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh spent a few weeks in Turkey and there were claims that the leadership moved, which turned out to be wrong. I would be very careful…Some members might have moved but the main offices certainly have not reopened in Turkey.”
Lawmakers this week have expressed frustration and concern about Turkey, a NATO ally, reportedly sheltering Hamas leaders who were pushed out of Qatar.
In a joint statement first shared with JI, Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) said it is “disappointing that Turkey has welcomed Hamas leaders with open arms following Qatar’s eviction of these terrorists.”
Wicker is the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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.”
They called on Turkey to abide by the U.S.’ extradition treaty with it and turn over Hamas leaders who have been indicted in the U.S.
“This is an opportunity to improve Turkish-congressional relations and strengthen the bonds of our friendship,” the trio continued.
A bipartisan group of 39 House members separately wrote to Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Avril Haines on Thursday to express alarm about the reports.
“We have serious concerns about the security implications of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member hosting, and potentially aiding, Hamas, a U.S. and EU designated foreign terrorist organization,” the lawmakers said, requesting an immediate classified briefing on the situation. “Reports of Hamas’s potential relocation of its headquarters to Turkey, a NATO ally, are deeply concerning and dramatically escalate existing concerns about Turkey’s relationship with the terrorist group.”
The letter was led by Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), several of whom have joined groups of lawmakers on a series of letters this year raising growing concerns about Turkey’s anti-Israel turn. The latest letter has the most signatories, by far, of any of these communiques.
The signatories requested confirmation of the reports and information about the nature of the Turkish government’s relationship with Hamas, whether Hamas is carrying out terrorist operations from Turkey, how the U.S. will respond to Turkey’s actions and whether the U.S. will seek to extradite Hamas leaders from Turkey.
Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Don Bacon (R-NE), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Grace Meng (D-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Norma Torres (D-CA), Mike Flood (R-MS), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Nick Lalota (R-NY), David Trone (D-MD), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Max Miller (R-OH), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), David Valadao (R-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Brian Mast (R-FL), Susie Lee (D-NV), Don Davis (D-NC) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) also signed the letter.
Budd separately lamented to JI this week the development’s implications for NATO and Turkish-American relations.
“It’s very discouraging that they would do this,” Budd said. “Turkey has a chance to improve NATO relationships, including the relationship with the U.S., and make sure they’re expelled from there as well.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that Turkey “has often played both sides of the street” and that the U.S. should “push them hard to be on our side and take steps against Hamas officials that may be concealed there.”
“We have agency through our military relationship and Turkey’s membership in NATO,” Blumenthal said. He said he had seen reports of Hamas leaders’ presence there but had not yet verified them.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) told JI that while he didn’t “have any independent confirmation” of the reports, he believed that, “It is absolutely something we need to be investigating. We need to find out if they’re moving just from Qatar to Turkey, that’s defeating the point of why we want Qatar to kick out those senior Hamas officials.
Source » jewishinsider.com
