VIDEO
The Gaza files that reveal Hamas paranoia before October 7
Seized documents show that a diplomatic briefing note suggested pictures of Recep Tayyip Erdogan should be burned to sabotage Israel’s relations with Turkey
exclusive
Files from a safe in the office of Yahya Sinwar, the political leader of Hamas, reveal threats to the Turkish government
AP
The Hamas leadership was considering undermining relations between Turkey and Israel in the period leading up to its October 7 attack, according to documents discovered by the Israeli army in Gaza.
Accounts of meetings held in Gaza from 2022 and last year by Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s political leader, give an insight into the mindset of the Islamist group and its regional ambitions.
Turkey’s leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has long been a key supporter of Hamas and of the Palestinian cause, while Turkey has been a base for Hamas members as well as a hub for recruitment and fundraising. But before October 7 there had been a growing rapprochement between the Turkish leader and Israel.
A briefing prepared for Sinwar by one of his aides
