Latest Developments
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on July 21 that the Shin Bet internal security service had foiled a major terrorist attack orchestrated from Turkey. The attack was planned by the Hamas cell at Birzeit University in the West Bank, at the direction of Hamas headquarters in Turkey. Five terrorists were captured by the police’s Gideonim elite unit. According to Katz, they were “planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Israel with the military training, weapons and thousands of dollars they had acquired.” The terrorist cell was led by Mahmoud Anjatz, a resident of the village of Kharbatha Bani Harith, who recruited four others under the banner of “Kutla Islamia,” an Islamist student group. At the time of their capture, an M-16 rifle was seized, along with tens of thousands of dollars provided to the terrorists following coordination by high-ranking Hamas officials in Turkey, the Shin Bet investigation concluded.
Expert Analysis
“Time after time since October 7, Turkey is identified as a major Hamas enabler. The example of this terror plot makes it clear that Turkish support for Hamas is not just in the abstract. It is at a level of support that provides weapons and funding to carry out further terrorist attacks, seeking to murder Israeli citizens.” — Sinan Ciddi, FDD non-resident Senior Fellow
“Hamas is using the territory of Turkey to plan, fund, and supply terrorists targeting civilians. The latest plot unveiled this weekend shows Hamas officials in Turkey aggressively recruiting operatives in the West Bank to help Hamas establish additional terror cells. Weapons, funds, and operational plans were all seized in connection with the planned attack. Turkey should be viewed as a jurisdiction of terrorism finance and money laundering that is fueling violence and instability.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action
Turkey’s Support for Hamas
Turkey has directly supported Hamas since allowing the Iranian-backed terrorist organization to establish offices inside Turkey in 2011. Since the October 7, terrorist atrocities, Ankara has stepped up efforts to provide a higher level of material support for the organization at the behest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In December 2023, Israeli officials foiled an attempt to smuggle thousands of weapons parts into the West Bank. In September 2023, Israeli customs authorities revealed that they intercepted 16 tons of explosive material on its way from Turkey to the Gaza Strip two months previously.
Erdogan frequently promotes his relationship with senior Hamas leaders, often meeting with them in public. In April 2024, Erdogan hosted key Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, where the two discussed the many ways in which Turkey could continue to champion Hamas, including relocating the organization’s global headquarters from Qatar to Turkey. Erdogan’s dedication to Hamas is based on his ideological worldview, which considers the group as “freedom fighters” while labeling Israel a “terrorist state” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “butcher” and “war criminal.”
“Turkey Actively Supports Hamas, Refuses to Condemn Massacre,” by Sinan Ciddi
“Israel Intercepts Rocket-Making Material En Route to Gaza From Turkey,” FDD Flash Brief
“10 Things to Know About Hamas and Turkey,” FDD Insight
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