Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday discussed the latest situation in Gaza in a phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, one of the leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization, Reuters reported, citing a Turkish foreign ministry source. The source provided no further details on the call. Turkey and its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have expressed support for Hamas. Last April, Erdogan met then-Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, who was later eliminated by Israel in Tehran. Weeks after meeting Haniyeh, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in hospitals across Turkey and also took issue with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ reference to Hamas as a terrorist organization. Related articles: Erdogan blasts Israel as 'terror state' Erdoğan once again takes revenge against his archenemy IDF launches platforms in Turkish Turkey will again not host the Israeli team Erdogan also met with senior Hamas members in Ankara in late January. The meeting was also attended by Fidan, Turkey’s Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin, and other Hamas officials. The Turkish President has increased his verbal attacks on Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The two countries had been on track to restore strained ties before Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
