State Department Warns Turkey Against Hosting Hamas Headquarters

U.S. discomfort over Turkish support for Hamas has reached a new threshold in the wake of reports that the Iran-backed terrorist organization is moving its headquarters from Qatar to Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance. At a State Department briefing on November 18, spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed the U.S. objections, declaring that Washington did not believe that “the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes in a major city of one of our key allies and partners.” Miller also noted that “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has murdered a number of Americans,” and which “continues to hold to this day seven American citizens hostage” in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, atrocities in southern Israel. He emphasized as well that Hamas leaders under U.S. indictment “should be turned over to the United States,” whether they are located “in Turkey or any other country.”

Ankara Denies Reports of Hamas Relocating to Turkey

For its part, Turkey has denied that Hamas leaders had relocated there. A statement from its foreign ministry insisted that “Allegations that the Hamas political bureau moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth,” while conceding that “Hamas political bureau members visit Turkey from time to time.”

Speculation over a Hamas move from Qatar to Turkey intensified after a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said that the absence of a “mediation process” between Hamas and Israel meant that the Hamas office in Doha created for the “negotiating process … no longer has any function.” According to the spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, Hamas leaders “move between different capitals,” adding that he did not “want to get into details of what that means.” Al-Ansari noted that a decision to permanently shutter the Hamas office in Qatar “is a decision that you will hear about from us directly and shouldn’t be part of media speculation.”

Hamas’s Current Status in Turkey

If Hamas were to leave Qatar entirely, its formal relocation to Turkey would be a logical next step given its warm relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime. Hamas has been domiciled in Turkey since 2011, with active offices in Istanbul and Ankara. The organization enjoys the active support of Turkey’s government and uses its presence in the country to recruit operatives, fundraise, plan terrorist attacks inside Israel, and ship weapons and materials to terrorists in Gaza. Erdogan openly refuses to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization, instead referring to the group as “mujahideen waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”

New Round of U.S. Sanctions Against Hamas Target Operatives in Turkey

Within hours of the State Department’s warning to Turkey, the U.S. Treasury designated six leaders of Hamas — Abd al-Rahman Ismail abd al-Rahman Ghanimat, Basem Naim, Mohammad Nazzal, Ghazi Hamad, Salama Mari, and Musa Daud Muhammad al-Akari — at least half of whom are now based in Turkey. The latest sanctions are the ninth set of sanctions issued by the United States against Hamas since October 7.

Outgoing Biden administration officials must work closely with the incoming Trump transition team and brief them on the substantive support that Turkey offers to Hamas. Turkey’s political support infrastructure for Hamas remains wholly intact and is championed by President Erdogan. Hence, the Trump administration should compel Turkey to outlaw Hamas, dismantle its offices, and extradite Hamas officials to Israel. If Turkey does not cooperate, the Trump administration should sanction Turkish government officials who collude with the organization.  

NATO allies of Turkey must also take a stronger stance and forcefully condemn Ankara’s open and unrestricted support for Hamas. NATO members should emphasize that while there are countries within the alliance that are critical of Israeli policies in Gaza and Lebanon, none would go so far as to advocate for and materially support a terrorist organization.

Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Sophia Epley is an intern. Sophia is also a student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. For more analysis from the authors and FDD, 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.