Speaking this week in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Erdogan pushed back on assertions that Iranian-backed Hamas, whose members just slaughtered thousands of men, women and children inside their homes in Southern Israel, are "terrorists." Instead, he called them liberators (Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005). Turkey is a NATO "ally."
Turkiye's Erdogan praised for saying Hamas is not a terror organisation pic.twitter.com/j19DxI4Ial
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) October 26, 2023
After retreating to the Gaza Strip on October 7 with hundreds of hostages, including Americans, Hamas has continued its rocket barrage on Israel's most populated areas.
Average daily rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza now over 500 per day, highest in any conflict since pulling out of Gaza in 2005, senior IDF official says
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) October 26, 2023
A Massive Barrage of Rockets have just been launched towards Central Israel and the City of Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/WtwBRNASfY
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 26, 2023
The State Department officially designated Hamas a Foreign Terror Organization in 1997. From the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
HAMAS formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising). Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories. The group’s charter calls for establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and Israel. HAMAS’ strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and areas of the West Bank.
HAMAS has a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades that has conducted many anti-Israel attacks in both Israel and the Palestinian territories since the 1990s. These attacks have included large-scale bombings against Israeli civilian targets, small-arms attacks, improvised roadside explosives, and rocket attacks.
The group in early 2006 won legislative elections in the Palestinian territories, ending the secular Fatah party’s hold on the Palestinian Authority and challenging Fatah’s leadership of the Palestinian nationalist movement. HAMAS continues to refuse to recognize or renounce violent resistance against Israel and in early 2008 conducted a suicide bombing, killing one civilian, as well as numerous rocket and mortar attacks that have injured civilians. The US Government has designated HAMAS a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Turkey openly harbors Hamas leaders and their terrorists. Qatar does the same.
At a time when Erdogan is calling Hamas a legitimate group of mujahidin, and allowing the group to operate openly in Istanbul. This is hard to stomach. https://t.co/itxB4BP8Pg
— Jonathan Schanzer (@JSchanzer) October 25, 2023
