Hamas’s senior leadership has recently relocated to Turkey after being forced to leave their longtime residences in Qatar, according to a Sunday report by Kan Television.
The Israeli public broadcaster cited an American diplomatic source who confirmed that the terror group was instructed to self-deport by authorities in Doha last week, following pressure from Washington over their ongoing rejections of Gaza ceasefire proposals and the murder of U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
The absence of the officials is not expected to significantly hinder the organization, as they already have offices in several Turkish cities and receive political support from the country’s president, Recep Erdogan.
Hamas had been based in the Persian Gulf nation since 2012, moving from Damascus due to the Syrian Civil War. The hosting of the Gaza-based Islamists was reportedly requested by the Obama administration to place them in a more accessible location for Western dialogue.
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