Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Fidan was in Qatar to hold talks with his Qatari counterpart. The source said the top diplomat and Haniyeh, who is scheduled to visit Türkiye on Saturday, discussed humanitarian aid to Gaza, cease-fire efforts and hostages in the Palestine-Israel conflict.
The Haniyeh-Fidan meeting came hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to defend the Palestinian cause "even if I am left alone." "By killing over 14,000 innocent children in Gaza, Israel has already outdone Nazi leader Adolf Hitler," Erdoğan told his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) parliamentary meeting in Ankara on Wednesday. He once again hit out at the “unconditional support from the West” for Israel, which he said was helping Israel “carry out massacres that went down shamefully in human history, both in Gaza, West Bank.”
Erdoğan has harshly criticized Israel and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing a "massacre” since the latter launched a deadly military offensive on Gaza after an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Palestinian resistance group Hamas, in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed. Comparing Hamas’ struggle to the Turkish War of Independence 100 years ago, Erdoğan said, “We are well aware of the cost of saying this but the world must know the truth.” Stressing that no one can question Türkiye's sensitivity to the Palestinian issue, Erdoğan said that the Palestinian cause gave his life new meaning. “I will fight for the Palestinian cause and be the voice of oppressed Palestinian people even if I am left alone,” he declared.
Erdoğan’s government maintains links with Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Unlike some European countries and the United States, Türkiye does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. “We are the only ones who have been brave enough to call Hamas a liberation movement,” the president added. “Despite those who try to pander to Israel by classifying Hamas as terrorists, Türkiye will continue defending Palestine’s struggle for independence at every turn.”
Ankara has been in touch with Hamas over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel’s lawless attacks, a cease-fire and hostage release discussions since the new round of conflict broke out. It has also sent its condolences to Haniyeh after three of his sons and some of his grandchildren were killed, while visiting relatives at a refugee camp in Gaza last week.
