Turkey Holds ‘Day of Mourning’ to Commemorate Assassinated Hamas Leader

Latest Developments

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoned the deputy ambassador of Turkey for a severe reprimand on August 2, after the Turkish flag at the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv was lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect for the assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. “If the embassy representatives wish to mourn, they should go to Turkey … alongside their master, Erdogan, who embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports its acts of murder and terror,” Katz declared in a post on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared August 2 as a national day of mourning as the terrorist leader’s funeral was held in Qatar, describing Haniyeh as having “fallen in martyrdom.” Turkish flags were lowered to half-mast in official buildings in Turkey and its representative offices abroad, including at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC. In Doha, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended funeral prayers for Haniyeh — who was killed in Tehran shortly after he attended the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — alongside senior Hamas officials and Iran’s vice president. Fidan conveyed his condolences to Khaled Meshaal, the acting head of Hamas’s political bureau.

Expert Analysis

“Honoring Haniyeh — a mass murderer who has the blood of Americans and Israelis on his hands — is unacceptable. What was billed in Turkey as a ‘day of mourning’ was in fact an excuse for Erdogan’s supporters to chant for the bombing of Tel Aviv.  As an ostensible ally of the United States and member of NATO, Turkey has gone beyond any and all forms of acceptable behavior.” — Sinan Ciddi, FDD non-resident Senior Fellow

“It should come as no surprise that Turkey is mourning the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Ankara has evolved into a sanctuary for Hamas, serving as a key ally that has not only endorsed but also legitimized the Islamist group’s status on the international stage. Furthermore, Hamas has leveraged its position under Erdogan’s rule to raise illicit funds and orchestrate terror plots against Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Ankara’s Growing Proximity to Terror

Following Haniyeh’s assassination on July 31, thousands of protestors rallied throughout Turkey against the Israel-Gaza war. Amid calls to end Western support for Israel, demonstrators in Istanbul on August 2 chanted for the bombing of Tel Aviv and urged Hamas to continue its “resistance” as well as “jihad.”

Turkey also blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on August 2 for failing to comply with the country’s “laws and rules” but did not disclose a more detailed reason for the ban. The move did, however, come after a senior Turkish official accused the platform of blocking condolence posts regarding the assassination of Haniyeh.

Related Analysis

“Turkey Threatens to Invade Israel,” by Sinan Ciddi and Sophia Epley

“10 Things to Know About Hamas and Turkey,” FDD Insight

“Hamas Chief Meets Turkish President,  Considers Move From Qatar to Turkey,” FDD Flash Brief