Last week, the powerful director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, met with a Hamas delegation.
The meeting was not held in secret. It was conducted in such a way as to send a message that Hamas is not isolated and that Ankara continues to be willing to host members of the group and perform a strategy that involves backing the terrorist organization.
The current ruling party of Turkey, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been in power for two decades in various forms, has backed Hamas for many years.
Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with Hamas leaders in the past. These meetings did not end after the October 7 massacre. Instead, Ankara has made its support clear.
In the meantime, key Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh have been killed. Israel’s defeat of Iran in the 12-day war in early June has also led some to believe that Hamas might be more flexible now – given that the Islamic Republic has been weakened.
Ankara’s outreach demonstrates that Hamas is not isolated. Further, the terrorist organization’s leaders reside in Qatar, a prominent, major non-NATO ally, as well.
According to Al Arabiya, “Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met a senior Hamas leader on Sunday for talks on Gaza’s humanitarian tragedy and efforts to reach a ceasefire, state news agency Anadolu reported.”
Al Arabiya went on to say that “Kalin held talks with Muhammad Ismail Darwish, the head of the political council of Hamas that rules Gaza, and his delegation at an undisclosed location, Anadolu said, citing security sources.”
According to the report, Hamas’s delegation discussed the “humanitarian tragedy” in Gaza. It also spoke about “the need to reach a consensus among Palestinian groups during this critical period... (and) the steps to be taken to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
Hamas expected to respond to ceasefire proposal after it was greenlight by Israel earlier in the week
The meeting took place in the context of ongoing discussions about a possible ceasefire. US President Donald Trump has said that he hopes a 60-day ceasefire might lead to a broader deal.
With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flying to the US and America’s celebration of July 4, its Independence Day, this past weekend, this is an essential time for Hamas and also for Hamas’s hosts and backers, such as Qatar and Turkey.
Turkey and Qatar are both US allies. Trump has said in the past that he is close to Turkey’s president. As such, Turkey influences US policy. The US push for a deal could prompt Qatar to pressure Hamas to agree. Many issues are in the air, and the Turkey meeting is a key part of this.
The meeting in Turkey was reported in several publications besides Turkey’s Anadolu Agency and Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya.
The Middle East Monitor also covered the meeting. Kalin is an eminent figure in Erdogan’s circles. As the current head of Turkey’s intelligence apparatus, Kalin has served Erdogan as his presidential press secretary and later as a senior advisor over the last decade. He has thus been central to key decision-making by Ankara.
Turkey’s leader met with the sons of the late Hamas leader Haniyeh in August 2024. Erdogan also met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Haniyeh in July 2023.
Haniyeh and Erdogan also met in April 2024 and back in February 2020. As for Kalin, he also held meetings with Hamas officials in May 2024 in Qatar. In 2019, reports emerged that Hamas had plotted attacks from Turkey.
Ankara’s and Jerusalem’s relations have been fraught with tension in recent months over the Israel-Hamas War and Syria.