Senior Hamas officials held a secret meeting last week in Turkey, Israel's national broadcaster KAN revealed on Sunday evening.
The meeting was headed by Hamas Deputy Chairman of the Political Bureau Saleh al-Arouri, who attended from his residence in Beirut, and former Hamas chief Khaled Masal, who lives in the Qatari capital Doha. Several other senior Hamas officials participated, according to KAN.
Turkey was deliberately chosen as the venue for the meeting as it was deemed safe enough for the leaders to meet there. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has consistently used anti-Israel rhetoric since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, declaring Israel guilty of war crimes.
The meeting was held to coordinate Hamas' next steps in its ongoing conflict with Israel, which began on October 7, when hundreds of Hamas terrorists broke through the border and launched a murderous raid on IDF bases and Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping nearly 250.
CONTINUE READING
Ο ισραηλινός στρατός αποκάλυψε το εσωτερικό του «μεγαλύτερου τούνελ» της Χαμάς κάτω από τη Γάζα
Hamas leaders have not yet determined their next steps in the war, both within Gaza itself and on the role of the Hezbollah group, which is Iran's proxy in Lebanon, but the KAN reported that another hostage-prisoner agreement may be on the table. On Sunday night, Egyptian officials said both Israel and Hamas were open to a new ceasefire and hostage release, though disagreements remain over how it would be implemented.
The Hamas leadership chose to hold its secret meeting in a third country abroad rather than by technological means, such as video conferencing or encrypted phone calls, so that everyone could sit down and talk together in a secure environment to prevent Israeli intelligence infiltration.
Turkey warns of "serious consequences"
Earlier this month, Turkey warned Israel of "serious consequences" if it tries to go after Hamas members living outside Palestinian territories, including Turkey, a Turkish intelligence official said. This came in response to an audio recording of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar saying Israel would hunt Hamas leaders in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar even if it took years.
On the same day, Erdogan claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be tried as a war criminal for Israel's attack on Gaza, referring to the Likud party leader as a "butcher of Gaza."
In a speech at a committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul in early December, Erdogan said Gaza is Palestinian land and will always belong to the Palestinians.
"Israel is not only a murderer but also a thief," Erdogan said, adding: "We cannot let Israel occupy Gaza once again."
