Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu described Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, who won the recent municipal elections in neighboring Istanbul, described Hamas as a terrorist organization and said Turkey was “deeply saddened” by the October 7 attack on Israel, in an interview with CNN's Times of Israel. .
Imamoglu says that Hamas is a terrorist organization
“Any organized structure that carries out terrorist acts and kills people en masse is considered a terrorist organization in our view,” he said specifically in reference to the Palestinian organization.
He also noted that similar crimes are happening to Palestinians, and called on Israel to end its war against Hamas.
Imamoglu's victory in the municipal elections held in March represents the worst defeat for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party in more than two decades in power, and could represent a major turning point in the Turkish political scene.
The Turkish government, led by Erdogan, openly supports Hamas, condemns Israel for its attack on the Gaza Strip, calls for an immediate ceasefire, and refuses to designate a “terrorist” organization when referring to Hamas.
Last week, the Turkish president likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tactics to those of Adolf Hitler, describing Israel as a “terrorist state” because of the situation in Gaza.
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