Turkey warns 'Israel' against targeting Hamas leaders abroad
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'Israel's' national broadcaster Kan reported Sunday that 'Israel' will seek Hamas in Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar even if it takes years.
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Protesters make hand prints on a map of Palestine during a protest in support of Palestinians marking the World Children's Day, in Istanbul, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
According to a Turkish intelligence officer, Turkey has warned the Israeli occupation of "serious consequences" if it tries to track down Hamas leaders residing outside Palestinian borders, particularly in Turkey.
The official stated that "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."
Israeli national broadcaster Kan reported Sunday that 'Israel' will seek Hamas in Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar even if it takes years, citing a video of the chief of 'Israel's' internal security agency Shin Bet. It was unclear when or to whom Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar made the statements.
Despite US pressure, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saturday, refused to cut Ankara's historical ties with Hamas in the wake of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
Erdogan, on the other hand, chose to keep his objections verbal regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza, as no concrete actions were taken to pressure the Israelis into stopping.
Washington's "profound" alarm of Turkish-Hamas relations was relayed to Ankara by Brian Nelson, the US Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, who, in turn, admitted that no money transmission was detected between Turkey and Hamas.
However, Nelson claimed in the past, Turkey had facilitated Hamas' obtaining of financing and should now employ local legislation to impose restrictions on any such transfers.
In response to that, Erdogan's office released remarks reminding Washington that Ankara did not consider Hamas a "terrorist organization", saying, "First of all, Hamas is a reality of Palestine, it is a political party there and it entered the elections as a political party and won," adding, "We form our foreign policy in Ankara and design it only according to Turkey's interests and the expectations of our people."
Moreover, Erdogan stressed, "I am sure that our interlocutors appreciate Turkey's consistent and balanced foreign policy steps in such humanitarian crises and conflicts," reaffirming that "we expect that these perpetrators of genocide, these butchers of Gaza who were caught red-handed -- especially Netanyahu -- will receive the just punishment."
Erdogan: Hope for peace in Gaza lost, Hamas should be in solution
Erdogan announced that the chance for peace in Gaza has waned and is considered lost after the end of the humanitarian pause as a result of "Israel's" approach, as reported by broadcaster NTV on Saturday.
On his return from attending the COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates, Erdogan still expressed not losing hope for achieving peace in the struggle and noted that the Palestinian Resistance Hamas cannot be excluded from the potential solution.
On a separate note, he hoped his visit to Greece next week would launch a new chapter in Ankara-Athens relations, according to Turkish media on Saturday.
Additionally, he informed reporters that although there are differences of opinion on some matters between both nations, there is also a chance for improvement.
