Turkey on Friday President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Israel has ordered a day of mourning for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, with flags around the world, including in Israel, flying at half-staff.
Israel’s foreign minister summoned Turkey’s deputy ambassador and demanded a “stern reprimand” after the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered the flag in mourning Haniyeh’s death.
“The State of Israel will not tolerate expressions of mourning for murderers such as Ismail Haniyeh,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Turkish President Erdogan warns of Israeli invasion over Gaza war amid rising regional tensions
Flags fly at half-mast at the Turkish embassy following the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on August 2, 2024. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes (REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)
Katz also accused Erdogan of turning Turkey into a “dictatorship” by supporting “the murderers and rapists of Hamas, against the position of the entire free world.”
Responding to Katz’s remarks, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncı Keçeli said “peace cannot be achieved by killing negotiators.” [or] This is believed to be a reference to Haniyeh, who is said to be involved in ceasefire negotiations.
Photos on social media showed the Turkish flag at half-staff in Tel Aviv as well as Washington, D.C., but Fox News Digital could not immediately verify the images.
Neither the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., nor the U.S. State Department immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions about the incident.
Iranians follow a truck carrying a coffin (center) during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguards in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Thursday, August 1. (AP/Vahid Saleemi)
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reportedly killed by hidden explosive in Tehran
President Erdogan has loudly condemned the killing of a Hamas terrorist in Iran earlier this week.
Haniya was reportedly killed in a bomb attack in the guest accommodation in Tehran. The New York Times.
Questions are growing over how a bomb was allegedly planted months ago in a building closely guarded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (centre) prays at the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who were killed on Wednesday in an assassination blamed on Israel. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via The Associated Press)
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Israel has not claimed credit for killing Hamas leaders, as it did when Hezbollah’s head of military operations, Fouad Shukr, was killed in an attack in Beirut on Tuesday.
Iran, along with Hamas and Hezbollah, still blames Israel for Haniyeh’s death and has vowed to take revenge.
Reuters contributed to this report.
