Türkiye says destroying Hamas is 'unrealistic'

“Western countries that support Israel, especially the US and the UK, always ask the question ‘What are we going to do about the threat from Hamas?’ instead of looking at the two-state solution,” President Erdogan told reporters on a flight from Dubai, where he attended the COP28 climate change conference. “Our answer is: If we put the focus on the two-state solution, then the problems in Gaza and the mutual threats will basically disappear. That is how we need to solve it.”

“The elimination and destruction of Hamas is not a realistic scenario,” the Turkish leader added. President Erdogan has strongly condemned Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and blamed the Jewish state’s “uncompromising approach” for the week-long ceasefire with Palestinian militants expiring on Friday. He has also repeatedly rejected Hamas as a “terrorist group” and instead called Israel “a terrorist state.”

Meanwhile, Israel accused Ankara of supporting Hamas militants. “We will liberate Gaza from Hamas, for the security of Israel and to create a better future for the people of the region,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. “(The Turkish government) welcomes Hamas terrorists in your country who have not been destroyed and have fled Gaza.” Israeli army chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi reiterated on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are ready to “eliminate” Hamas. In a related development, during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US Vice President Kamala Harris said that under no circumstances will the US allow Palestinians to be forcibly removed from the Gaza Strip or redraw the borders of the region. The US vice president affirmed that the US “will not allow the forced removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, blockade Gaza or change its borders.”

In addition, Vice President Harris also discussed US ideas regarding a post-conflict plan for the Gaza Strip, including reconstruction, security and governance efforts. At the same time, during the meeting with President al-Sisi, the US Vice President emphasized that Hamas should not retain control of the Gaza Strip. According to Ms. Harris, such a development would go against the interests of Israel as well as the interests of the Palestinian people and regional security./.