Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hosts Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh, Amid Criticism of Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he will be hosting the leader of Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Turkey this weekend. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul on Saturday. This will be the second time that the two leaders have met, with their last encounter taking place in July 2023 at the presidential palace in Ankara alongside Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza that was sparked by an attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, most of whom were civilians according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a ground and air offensive that has resulted in the deaths of at least 33,899 people in Gaza, mainly women and children.

Despite his criticism of Israel, Erdogan has established friendly ties with Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar. Last week, Erdogan offered Haniyeh condolences for the loss of his three sons and some grandchildren in an Israeli strike in Gaza. Erdogan has accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza. He has referred to Hamas as “liberators” or “mujahideen” fighting for their land.