Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who often uses social media to lash out at Türkiye’s leadership and Hamas, drew condemnation from Turkish officials on Sunday over a social media post.
Burhanettin Duran, head of Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, said in a social media post that Katz’s presumptuous message was “an indicator of the political desperation he is in ahead of upcoming elections in Israel.”
Katz shared a photo of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and another of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan with current Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya, a photo taken during al-Hayya's visit to Ankara on Friday. The photos were accompanied by an image purportedly depicting the gates of Hell. Katz wrote that al-Hayya would be “next” to be “sent to hell” and accused Erdoğan of rolling out the red carpet for what he called “murderers.”
Türkiye views Hamas as a resistance movement and has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s ongoing killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza and beyond since October 2023.
Duran said threats, provocations and defamation campaigns by the Israeli administration would not change “our country’s stand for justice and rights.” He added that unfounded allegations against Türkiye would not cover up the Israeli administration’s record as a perpetrator of genocide in Gaza or its aggressive policies across the region.
“Katz’s blatant death threat against people involved in cease-fire and peace negotiations is just a new display of the Israeli administration’s disregard for international law. This irresponsible behavior means ignoring the international community,” Duran added.
Hamas also condemned Katz’s threat to assassinate its political bureau chief, calling it “organized state terrorism” and a sign of the Israeli government’s “political bankruptcy.”
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said Katz’s remarks reflected “the logic of rogue states that are not bound by international law,” stressing that the threats would not alter its approach of “struggle and resistance” until Palestinian rights were restored and the Israeli occupation ended.
The group urged mediators to take a “strong and decisive position” against Katz’s remarks.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to the cease-fire agreement and a U.S.-backed roadmap, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations, including ending attacks and lifting restrictions on Palestinians.
The 15-point roadmap, announced by the Board of Peace on July 31, calls for disarming Hamas and other Palestinian factions, transferring Gaza’s administration to a national committee and a phased Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the roadmap in August, insisting on complete disarmament before any Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli cease-fire violations have killed 1,488 Palestinians and injured 5,281, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Since the genocidal Israeli attacks began in October 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 175,000 injured, while around 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed.