Erdogan: Thousands of Hamas Members Have Been Hospitalized in Turkey
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan publicly stated that thousands of members of the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas were being treated in Turkey’s hospitals, in what an Ankara official later alleged was merely a verbal gaffe.
Responding to an assertion from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a joint press conference on Monday that Hamas was a terrorist organization, Erdogan noted that his administration sees the group as a “resistance movement.”
“If you call Hamas a ‘terrorist organization,’ this would sadden us,” the Turkish president declared, adding that “more than 1,000 members of Hamas are under treatment in hospitals across our country.”
While no media outlets have so far been able to independently verify the identities of those Gazans evacuated to Turkey for medical treatment, in November, Ankara announced it would be facilitating transport and care for some Palestinians requiring complex care, in this case, mostly cancer patients and their families.
Later Monday, one Turkish official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that “[Erdogan] misspoke; he meant 1,000 Gazans are under treatment, not Hamas members.”
Erdogan’s electoral support rests largely on the backs of rural and religious Islamist voters and is extremely supportive of the Palestinian cause. Leaning into this political reality, the longtime president has maintained friendly relations with Hamas despite the group’s classification as a terrorist organization by Turkey’s NATO allies.
