Hamas shifts covert organizational units, activities to Turkey following Qatari crackdown
Palestinian sources say that the transfer to Turkey involves most of Hamas's covert activities, while Qatar will continue to host the terror organization's leadership and public-facing activities.
Hamas is relocating certain operational units, such as its planning and cyber departments, to Turkey, according to KAN's report on Wednesday. The majority of Hamas's covert activities are set to move to Turkey, while Qatar will retain leadership and public-facing operations. Security forces in Qatar have restricted the movement of Hamas's leadership across their territory, necessitating permission for any official meetings.
This development follows Hamas's appointment of Khalil al-Hayya as its leader, an action disapproved by Qatar. Instead, Qatar supports Khaled Meshaal, who shares closer ties with Qatar than the Iran-aligned al-Hayya. Al-Hayya, who served as chief negotiator during the Israel-Hamas War, was chosen to lead Hamas's political bureau on July 20, succeeding Yahyah Sinwar, whose role had been vacant since Sinwar's death in Gaza in October 2024.
During that interim period, the terrorist organization was overseen by a collective governing committee. Al-Hayya, based in Qatar, met with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last week during his first high-level interaction since his appointment. "Fidan reiterated Turkey's unwavering support for the 'just cause' of Palestinians on every international platform," reported Anadolu Agency.
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