ANKARA — A Turkish diplomatic source denied on Monday CHARGES that the political office of Hamas has moved to Turkey.

“Members of the Hamas politburo occasionally visit Turkey,” the source said. “However, claims that the political office has moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth.”

The denial comes after some Israeli media, including Israeli state broadcaster Kan, cited unnamed Israeli sources and reported on Sunday that senior Hamas leaders in Qatar, which has been the home of the militant group’s political wing for many years, had left the Gulf country for Turkey. days ago and that they were staying in Turkey.

The sources did not clarify whether Hamas political leaders are currently in the country.

Doha told the militant group to leave the country amid ceasefire talks between Hamas and IsraelAl-Monitor reported earlier this month, citing several Biden administration officials. Turkey and Iran stood out as two likely options for relocating the Hamas political office, US sources told Al-Monitor. Qatari officials have not confirmed the reports, saying they are “inaccurate”. But on November 9, Qatar told Israel and Hamas that it was suspending mediation efforts between the parties.

While Iran is the militant group’s biggest financial and military backer, Turkey, unlike other NATO members, does not consider the militant group a terrorist organization. Hamas’s political leaders split their time between Qatar and Turkey until recently.

On October 28, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with top figures from the political wing of Hamas, just two days after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting was attended by the Vice Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, the head of the Hamas Shura Council, Mohammad Darwish, as well as the leading members of the militant group, Mousa Abu Marzouk and Zaher Jabarin. It remains unclear if he is still in Turkey.

The former political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyehwho was killed in an apparent Israeli attack in Tehran in July, was in Turkey during the militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel. Turkish authorities asked Haniyeh and his entourage to leave the country after the attack, as Al-Monitor first reported.

The October 7 attack, which came a little more than a year after Turkey and Israel fully normalized diplomatic relations, left the Turkish-Israeli standoff shattered. Amid Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s outspoken criticism of the militant group, Israel announced in late October that it was reassessing diplomatic relations with Turkey, indicating that its ambassador would not return to Ankara after leaving due to security concerns. Turkey recalled its ambassador to the Jewish state in November 2023.

Rina Bassist contributed to this report.