Erdogan categorically condemns murder of ‘brother’ Haniyeh and calls him a coward

Recep Tayyip Erdogan unequivocally condemned the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman, Ismail Haniyeh —his “brother,” as he described him.

Turkey’s president said “I categorically condemn and curse” the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, calling it a “cowardly” act.

Erdogan added that the killing was “a heinous act aimed at destroying the Palestinian struggle, the glorious resistance in Gaza and the just struggle of our Palestinian brothers by frustrating and intimidating Palestinians.”

The brutality of Zionism

Erdogan said that whatever the purpose of the heinous attacks against Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdul Aziz Al-Rasisi and many other Gaza politicians, “the purpose of killing my brother Ismail Haniyeh is the same, but the barbaric acts of Zionism will not be able to achieve its ambitions again, as it has done so far.”

The Turkish president then referred to the “hardest positions of the Islamic world” and the “alliance of humanity” with the help of which “we hope that oppression and genocide in Gaza and Israeli terrorism in our region will end, the region will become our country and the world will be at peace”.

He went on to say that as Turkey, “we will continue to try all means, open all doors, and do everything in our power to support our Palestinian brothers. We will continue to work towards the establishment of a free, sovereign, and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

He concluded: “I hope Allah has mercy on my brother Ismail Haniyeh, who was martyred in this heinous attack – I ask his family to remain patient and express my condolences to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, Palestine and the Islamic world. May Allah glorify him with His Paradise and glory.”

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Earlier that morning, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a similar message condemning Haniyeh’s murder. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement:

“We condemn the killing of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in a heinous attack in Tehran.

“We express our condolences to the Palestinian people, thousands of whom, like Haniyeh, have sacrificed to live in peace under the protection of their own country.

“The Netanyahu government’s lack of will for peace has been demonstrated once again.

“This attack is also aimed at expanding the war in Gaza. If the international community does not act to stop Israel, our region will face a greater conflict.

Türkiye will continue to support the just struggle of the Palestinian people.”

The murder of Ismail Haniya, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau and a regular interlocutor of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been a major issue in Turkey since morning. Erdogan’s support for Haniya did not emerge after the outbreak of the Gaza war, but has historical depth and ideological basis, and the ideological proximity of both parties to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Ikhwan Movement is well known. Ismail Haniya met with Erdogan in Istanbul last April, and the meeting lasted 2.5 hours.

Source: APE – MEB