Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he will be hosting the leader of Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Turkey this weekend. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul on Saturday.
Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, which was sparked by an attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023. This attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, most of whom were civilians according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a ground and air offensive that has resulted in the deaths of at least 33,899 people in Gaza, mainly women and children.
Despite criticism from many countries around the world, Erdogan has established friendly ties with Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar. Last week, Erdogan offered Haniyeh condolences for the loss of his three sons and some grandchildren in an Israeli strike in Gaza. Erdogan has accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza. He has referred to Hamas as “liberators” or “mujahideen” fighting for their land.