dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

More than 1,000 Hamas members being treated in Turkey, says Erdogan

Nataliya Vasilyeva Mon, May 13, 2024

Turkey’s president has said that more than 1,000 members of Hamas are being treated in Turkish hospitals. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has railed against Israel since the outbreak of war,described Hamas as “a resistance organisation”.(That tells you why Turkey hasn't been kicked out of NATO, because he would revert to what he wants)

“So many Hamas members have been killed. The whole of the West is attacking them with all sorts of arms and munitions,” he said.“Calling Hamas … a terrorist organisation would be cruel,”Mr Erdogan said, adding that it was a “very important” question. (it's absolutely true they are terrorists)

Hamas is classed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union, among others.It is not clear how 1,000 Hamas members would have come to Turkeyfrom Gaza, which has been sealed off by Israel and Egypt since the war began.However, not all Hamas members are militant fighters, and some badly injured civilians are know to have been evacuated for treatment.Turkey is known to host Hamas membersand hasturned a blind eyein the past to the group’s activities.

Mr Erdogan has cut trade links with Israel and at the weekend said the state’s “genocidal methods would make Hitler jealous”. Mr Erdogan’s intervention comes afterUS officials said the leader of Hamas is not hiding in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israel is poised to mount a major offensive. Yahya Sinwar, the terror group’s leader and a mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel, is likely to be hiding in tunnels under the city of Khan Younis to the north, they said. (So how would they know that?)

The intelligence, reported by the New York Times on Monday, raises further questions over Israel’s plan to invade Rafah, which has alienated its staunchest allies, including the US. Israel has insisted it must enter Rafah, the last Gazan city untouched by fierce fighting and now home to 1.4 million people, to dismantle the remaining Hamas units there and catch the group’s leaders.

Sinwar has become a looming figure in the Israeli national psyche since Oct 7, particularly among politiciansand media demanding revenge for the multiple terror attacks that day. He reportedly retained a veto in recent ceasefire talks with Israel, rejecting any major compromises. Joe Biden indicated last week that Israel would be crossing a red line by invading Rafah as he halted some arms shipments to Israel. It is not clear whether IDF operations there have already crossed that red line.

In an overnight call with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, described his country’s mission in Rafah as a “precise operation against remaining Hamas battalions”.Mr Blinken reiterated Washington’s opposition to a major offensive in the southern city.

On Monday, heavy fighting was reported in the eastern edge of Rafah. Israeli tanks and infantry reportedly crossed a key highway on the outskirts of the city. And in a sign of escalating fighting in the area, theIDF reported 50 soldiers injured in 24 hours, a high number for Israeli operations during this war.

At least 360,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since the IDF issued evacuation orders last Monday, according to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said on Monday the local health system was “hours away” from collapse as the key crossing used for aid deliveries remained shut.

Egypt warns of Rafah invasion ‘risks’

On Monday afternoon, the Egyptian foreign minister warned Mr Blinken of “grave security risks” entailed by Israel’s manoeuvres in Rafah, which borders his country. Sameh Shoukry also stressed the need to resume aid deliveries as soon as possible. Earlier on Monday, an unnamed Egyptian official told the Associated Press the Egyptians have been privately warning Israel that the Rafah operation would put into jeopardy the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, a cornerstone of regional security.Mr Shoukry has publicly denied any intention on the part of Egypt to pull out of the treaty…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-not-151743981.html