Turkey condemns Hamas leader Haniyeh’s assassination

Duvar English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 31 shared a message of condolence on social media following the assassination of Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh.

“I strongly condemn and denounce the treacherous assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief İsmail Haniyeh in Tehran. This assassination was a vile attempt to undermine the Palestinian cause, the glorious resistance of Gaza, and the rightful struggle of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

“Zionist barbarism will not achieve its goals, as it has not in the past,” continued the President’s message. 

Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s stance regarding the conflict. “We will continue to work for the establishment of a free, sovereign, and independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.”

Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik also commented on the developments in a live broadcast from the party headquarters. 

Çelik criticized Israel and its allies for inciting further conflict in the region. “Western society preferred to send warships instead of taking the initiative for peace. The Zionist network will continue the massacre. Netanyahu is trying to spread the war across the entire region.” 

“Israel has pulled the first trigger indicating it wants a regional war today. It is threatening the security of the countries in the region,” he continued. 

Çelik also bashed the United States Defense Secretary Austin for declaring its support for Israel in case of a retaliatory attack. 

"The U.S. said, "We are ready to protect Israel if it is attacked." The threat in the region is Israel. If you applaud someone seeking support to commit genocide, they will move on to other actions,” he said. 

The speaker urged the implementation of international law to “stop Netanyahu and his team.” 

Çelik added, “Haniyeh was working for peace. The threat to world peace is Netanyahu and his team. Those who want peace should act together. Israel has assassinated peace.”

Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu expressed his condolences and said he would attend Haniyeh’s funeral service that will take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar. 

The imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş also shared a message about Haniyeh's assassination. 

"All lives spent resisting oppression are meaningful and reputable. One of the leaders of the Palestinian people, Haniyeh shall be remembered as such. I condemn the cowardly assassination of Haniyeh, and extend my condolences to his family and the Palestinian people," read his message.  

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on July 31 confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country's new president, and said it was investigating.

Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, has been the face of Hamas's international diplomacy as the war set off by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 has raged in Gaza. He had been taking part in internationally-brokered talks on reaching a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

Hamas' armed wing said in a statement Haniyeh's killing would "take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions", while Iran declared three days of national mourning and vowed to retaliate.

Turkey has denounced Israel's offensive in Gaza following Oct. 7 and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Erdoğan has called Hamas a "liberation movement" while slamming the West for what he calls its unconditional support of Israel. Ankara has also imposed trade restrictions on Israel.

In April, Erdoğan hosted Haniyeh in Istanbul, where the leaders spoke about efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and reach a fair and lasting peace in the region.

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