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Turkey warned Israel of "serious consequences" if it tries to hunt down Hamas members living outside Palestinian territories, including in Turkey, a Turkish intelligence official said on Monday.
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"Necessary warnings were made to the interlocutors based on the news of Israeli officials' statements, and it was expressed to Israel that (such an act) would have serious consequences," the official said.
Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel would hunt down Hamas in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar even if it takes years, the head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet said in a recording. It was unclear when Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar made the remarks or to whom.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently declared in a press conference at the IFG headquarters that he instructed Mossad "to act against Hamas leaders wherever they may be."
Turkey routinely hosts senior Hamas officials. Fathi Hamad, a member of the organization's hawkish wing, settled there two years ago.
During the surprise attack on October 7, when Hamas terrorists rampaged house-to-house in southern Israeli communities, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was in Istanbul and was filmed prostrating in prayer on the floor while the Qatari network Al Jazeera broadcast images of the massacre.
In October, there were reports of tensions between Turkey and the terrorist organization, but the Turkish President's office denied these reports, including one that claimed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered senior Hamas members to leave the country, calling the publications "baseless."
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Haniyeh
(Photo: AFP PHOTO / TURKISH PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE)
Turkish sources told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the report about Turkey's request for Hamas leaders to leave was "based on the stance that Ankara opposes the killing of civilians in any situation, but its relations with Hamas continue."
The Turkish president recently made several statements in support of Hamas, claiming it is not a terrorist organization, and accused Netanyahu on Monday of being a "war criminal" and "will stand trial” as one.
He said that "Netanyahu will enter history as 'the butcher of Gaza,' he has expansion plans beyond Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem" while adding that "Israel has nuclear bombs, but it does not admit it."