Pro-Hamas Protesters in Turkey Call for Military Strikes Against Israel

Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Istanbul on August 3 to express their anger over the death of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran on July 31. Emboldened by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s belligerent rhetoric blaming Israel for Haniyeh’s death, pro-Hamas mobs vandalized stores, burned Israeli flags, and called for “jihad” against Israel.

Amid calls to end Western support for Israel, demonstrators in Istanbul chanted “strike, strike, Tel Aviv, strike!” followed by “greetings to Hamas, onward with the resistance!” Crowds threw stones at Starbucks for continuing to do business with Israel.

Erdogan ordered a national day of mourning to honor Haniyeh on August 2, resulting in the lowering of the Turkish flag at all government buildings, including Turkey’s embassy in Tel Aviv. On the same day, Ankara blocked all access to Instagram, accusing the platform of “blocking condolence posts following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.”

Three days before his death, Haniyeh called on all nations to take to the streets in solidarity with the people of Gaza. After he died, pro-Hamas activists interpreted this call as his “final will” and organized mass demonstrations around the world. The Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA) and National Willpower Platform, which have close ties to Erdogan, planned the increasingly violent protests. The mission of both organizations is to promote and instill an Islamist ideology and anti-Western values throughout Turkish society.

Since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, Erdogan has intensified his hostile stance toward the Jewish state. At a massive pro-Palestinian rally on October 28 of last year, Erdogan declared that Israel was an occupier in its war in Gaza and defended Hamas. More recently, on August 5, he lashed out against those who support Israel’s war in Gaza, calling them “house n*****s” whose only aim is to please Israel.

While the United States, Israel, the European Union, and NATO allies of Turkey all classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, Erdogan has described it as “a liberation movement … waging a battle to protect its lands and people.” Turkey has materially supported the organization as well by acting as the terrorist entity’s largest financial hub. Hamas donors use Turkey’s financial system to facilitate the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars to its Gaza base. A foiled Hamas terrorist attack in July revealed that Turkey had supplied the group with military training, weaponry, and cash.

Most damning has been Ankara’s granting of safe harbor and sanctuary to Hamas and its senior leadership, including Ismail Haniyeh and the late Saleh al-Arouri, who both received Turkish passports.

Erdogan has also weaponized Turkey’s membership in NATO to undermine Israel’s national security. Since October, Turkey has vetoed NATO’s cooperation with Israel, including joint meetings and exercises, claiming that Israel’s “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza violates NATO’s founding principles. On July 28, Erdogan even threatened to invade Israel.

While it remains unclear how much of Erdogan’s anti-Israel posturing is just rhetoric, his actions are damaging NATO’s relationship with Israel and the collective alliance’s regional security interests. The Biden administration must not ignore Erdogan’s threats as banal rhetoric.

Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). Sophia Epley is an intern at FDD and a student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. For more analysis from Sinan and Sophia, please subscribe HERE. Follow Sinan on X @SinanCiddi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.