ANKARA

Ankara has denied reports from the Israeli media that Hamas political leadership has moved to Türkiye from Qatar.

“The members of the Hamas political bureau visit Türkiye from time to time. But claims that the Hamas political bureau has moved to Türkiye do not reflect the reality,” said the sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Nov. 18.

Citing anonymous Arab diplomats, the Israeli media has reported that Qatar ousted Hamas upon the request of the United States.

Qatar has hosted Hamas since 2012 and has acted as a mediator between the group and Israel since October 2023. Washington has been pressing Qatar to deport Hamas from its soil. There has been no confirmation of the request by the Qatari officials.

Türkiye has ties with Hamas leadership and as the ministry sources informed, they visit Türkiye from time to time. Former political bureau leader İsmail Haniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel in Tehran, met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier in the year.

Türkiye and Qatar enjoy very good ties and agree on most regional issues. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani paid a working visit to Ankara last week to hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The two sides exchanged views on the continued Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon. Both sides underline the need for an immediate cease fire in the region as the death toll has exceeded 43,000.