Following Launch of October 7 Task Force, Turkey and Qatar Should Feel the Heat

The U.S. Justice Department just launched an October 7 joint task force. Now, all eyes should be on Turkey and Qatar. 

Announced on March 17, Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7) “will seek justice for the victims” of Hamas’s October 7 assault and “address the ongoing threat posed by Hamas and its affiliates.” JTF 10-7 will operate under the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and involve personnel from the FBI and multiple divisions of the Justice Department, with support from other agencies.  

JTF 10-7 has three primary objectives. First, to target, charge, and prosecute terrorists who were “on the ground” on October 7, 2023. Second, to pursue the “pending charges” against Hamas leaders and bring them “to the United States to face justice.” Third, to “investigate acts of terrorism and civil rights violations by individuals and entities” that provide support to Hamas and Iran’s terror proxies and perpetuate antisemitism.  

JTF 10-7 provides the Trump administration with an opportunity to heap pressure on Turkey and Qatar, both state sponsors of Hamas despite their status as U.S. allies 

Turkey: State Sponsor of Hamas 

Hamas established a presence in Turkey in 2011 at Ankara’s invitation. Turkey has since provided Hamas with financial and political support. Hamas maintains offices in Turkey, although their locations are not publicly known. Ankara granted Hamas’s former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, and his deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, Turkish citizenship. Both men were eliminated by Israel in 2024. On October 7, 2023, as Hamas carried out its massacre in southern Israel, a delegation of senior Hamas leaders met in Ankara with members of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly accused Israel of committing war crimes while lauding Hamas as “a group of mujahideen defending their lands.” After Israel resumed operations in Gaza, Erdogan said on March 18 that Israel is a “terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears” of Palestinian civilians. 

Qatar: State Sponsor of Hamas 

Qatar’s former emir was the first world leader to visit Gaza after Hamas seized the enclave in 2007. While in Gaza, the emir pledged $400 million for civil projects in the strip. Doha has since provided Hamas-run Gaza with over $1 billion, which helped subsidize government salaries and fund other development projects. Since 2012, Hamas has maintained a political office in Qatar, where several of the group’s senior leaders, both living and dead, established residency. Doha held “Israel alone responsible” for Hamas’s October 7 massacre and has remained loyal to Hamas’s narrative throughout the ensuing war.  

JTF 10-7 Gives Washington Momentum to Heap Pressure on Ankara and Doha 

Turkey and Qatar are both U.S. allies — a NATO member and a Major Non-NATO Ally, respectively. JTF 10-7 should spur the Trump administration to exert overdue pressure on Doha and Ankara to sever ties with Hamas or face significant consequences. 

The United States should pressure Ankara to shut down Hamas’s offices, extradite known operatives, and revoke travel documents issued to Hamas members. Additionally, Washington should expose and punish Ankara’s policy of allowing Hamas fighters to use Turkey as a transit and logistics hub and continue sanctioning Turkish financial entities that facilitate fundraising activities for Hamas. Several targets have already been identified by Israel’s Shin Bet for laundering money to fund terror operations in the West Bank. 

Regarding Qatar, in the short term, the administration should pressure Qatar to extradite top Hamas official Khaled Meshal, who resides in Qatar and frequently travels to Turkey. On September 3, the Justice Department unsealed terrorism, murder conspiracy, and sanctions evasion charges against Meshal and five additional Hamas leaders in connection to the terrorist group’s October 7 attack. In the long term, the Trump administration should compel Qatar to sever all financial and political ties with Hamas. If Doha doesn’t take sufficient action, the administration should consider revoking Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally status. 

Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Sinan Ciddi is a nonresident senior fellow. For more analysis from Natalie, Sinan, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow Sinan on X @SinanCiddi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.