Turkish official denies that Hamas leaders booted from Qatar have moved there, says they’re just visiting

Reports that Palestinian terror group Hamas’s office has moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth, a Turkish diplomatic source says, adding members of the group visited the country from time to time.

Doha said last week it had told Hamas and Israel it will halt its efforts to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal until they show willingness and seriousness.

Turkey has fiercely criticized Israel over its offensives in Gaza and in Lebanon and does not deem Hamas a terrorist organization. Some Hamas political officials regularly visit Turkey.

The denials come after an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel yesterday that senior members of Hamas’s abroad leadership left Qatar last week for Turkey.

The Arab diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, downplayed the significance of the move for the terror group, stressing that Hamas’s leadership abroad already spends much of its time in Turkey when they are not holding meetings in Qatar.

Source » timesofisrael.com