NATO Member Turkey Hosts Conference With Hamas Leader Calling for Suicide Bombings

Latest Developments

NATO member Turkey hosted a conference on August 28 that featured Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s call for Palestinians to conduct suicide attacks targeting Israelis. “We want to return to martyrdom operations. This is a situation that can only be addressed by open conflict. They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict,” Mashal said in a video address to the “Eye on Jerusalem” conference organized by the Al-Quds International Institute — an organization sanctioned by the United States. Mashal added that the “responsibility and the sharia is to unleash all the [fighting] fronts against” Israel. Following his speech, the Turkish state-funded Arabic language outlet TRT Arabic promoted Mashal’s statements on its social media accounts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has intensified his long-standing belligerent stance against Israel in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities, pursuing economic and legal warfare against the Jewish state and even threatening military action.

Expert Analysis

“Khaled Mashal’s call for a resumption of suicide attacks is a sign of desperation from a terror organization whose own atrocities have led to the destruction of Gaza. On October 7, Hamas’s hope was that Iran’s proxies would unite to finally defeat Israel. But it didn’t happen on October 7, and despite the toll of this war on Gaza and the skirmishes that Israel has fought with Iran and its proxies, Israel has all but destroyed Hamas’s military capabilities in Gaza and decapitated most of its leadership.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“With this development, Turkey has crossed another line. The state broadcaster is a taxpayer-funded entity that has no business advocating for any cause, let alone augmenting the aspirations of a terrorist organization. Hamas’s desire to commit murder and acts of terrorism should not be given a platform on Turkish national television and is another example of the country’s lack of institutional governance. The Turkish state is 100 percent under Erdogan’s thumb, and all agencies have become his mouthpiece, projecting his Islamist worldview.” — Sinan Ciddi, FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Hundreds of Israelis Killed by Suicide Bombs During Second Intifada

On August 18, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) threatened to launch a new campaign of suicide bombings on Israelis following a failed attempt in Tel Aviv in which a premature detonation killed only the terrorist.

Palestinian terror groups have used suicide bombers as a method of terrorizing Israelis since the early 1990s, but the terror tactic gained prominence in the Second Intifada, when suicide bombings claimed the lives of 525 Israelis — more than half of the total 1,085 killed by Palestinian terrorists between 2000 and 2005. Terrorists targeted buses, hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants, and the vast majority of Israelis killed were civilians. Israel increased security measures in response, including restricting the movement of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza into Israel.

Related Analysis

“Hamas, PIJ Threaten Resumption of Suicide Bombings Following Botched Tel Aviv Attack,” FDD Flash Brief

“Shin Bet Foils Hamas Terror Plot Tied to Turkey,” FDD Flash Brief

“Gaza Terrorists Use Suicide Bombs Against Israeli Soldiers,” FDD Flash Brief

“While Gazans Suffer, Hamas Leaders Live in Luxury,” FDD Flash Brief