IDF exposes Hamas terror network based in Turkey

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday revealed intelligence exposing a Hamas terrorist network directed from Turkish soil.

Salam Yaish, Walid Abu Nasser, Majed Ja’aba, Muhammad Mallah and Ayman Sharawna have worked to advance “extensive military activity” in Israel, including in Judea and Samaria, according to the statement.

Their activities include “recruiting operatives to carry out terror attacks and transferring weapons and funds into the region in order to advance military activity,” the army stated.

Turkey, which has hosted a Hamas headquarters since 2012, has given full backing to the Palestinian terror group since its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

According to a 2021 report by The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Hamas’s headquarters in Istanbul has directed hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israelis and laundered millions of dollars.

“Turkey collaborates with terror organizations on both the ideological and operational levels. Terrorists working on Turkish soil establish infrastructures and plan terror attacks against Israel,” the report stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after the Turkish leader accused Jerusalem of threatening regional stability.

Speaking to lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan said Israel’s military actions in Syria and Lebanon have escalated to a level that could endanger Turkey, warning that Israeli “aggression” poses a threat to the entire world and must be stopped.

In response, Netanyahu called Erdogan “an antisemitic tyrant,” accusing him of carrying out a genocide against the Kurds, supporting Hamas, repressing his own citizens and imprisoning political opponents.

Erdogan is “the last person who can preach morality to the State of Israel,” said the premier.