Turkey Treating Over 1,000 Wounded Hamas Members In Hospitals: Erdogan
The NATO country with the second largest military in the alliance has just admitted to aiding and abetting a US-designated terror organization.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in surprisingly frank statements acknowledged that Turkey is currently treating over 1,000 Hamas members in various hospitals across the country. In the remarks he stressed that Turkey does not consider them terrorists, but as part of a "resistance movement" against Israel.
Also surprising is that such an admission, which is sure to anger other Western allies, came as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was on an official visit with Erdogan in the capital city of Ankara.
"Hamas is a resistance organization whose lands have been occupied since 1947, and it has protected its lands after the occupation," Erdoğan said, clashing with Greece's view of the militant organization currently fighting Israel.
"I do not see Hamas as a terrorist organization. On the contrary, I see Hamas as people struggling to protect their own land and their own people," Erdogan added.
According to more from the exchange:
Speaking at a press conference after talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara, Erdogan also said he was saddened by the Greek view that deems Hamas a terrorist organization.
Greece and Turkey cannot agree on all issues related to the war in Gaza but they can agree that violence must end and a long-term ceasefire is needed, Mitsotakis said.
“Let’s agree to disagree,” Mitsotakis said, responding to Erdogan.
Erdogan at one point told his Greek counterpart that terrorist organizations "should have no place in the region's future" and that there is "growing unity" on this, but that Turkey differs on the definition when it comes to Hamas.
But, Erdogan explained, "we are in agreement that a ground operation in Rafah would be unacceptable."
Since the Gaza War started in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, Erdogan has been a constant critic of both Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu personally.
Erdogan corrects Greek PM Mitsotakis, says “Hamas isn’t a terror group, it is an insurgent group that is trying to protect its territories that have been occupied since 1947” pic.twitter.com/U0mrRdjEcG
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) May 13, 2024
Turkey has also cut trade with Israel over what it called the "worsening humanitarian tragedy" currently unfolding. Israel has in turn accused Erdogan of being a "dictator".
As for treating hardline jihadists in hospitals, this also happened during the war in Syria, but in that case even Israel at one point had been giving medical aid to anti-Assad militants on its soil, most of which were linked to al-Qaeda.