A delegation of Hamas's leadership met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, the terror organization announced.
Muhammad Ismail Darwish, head of Hamas's Political (Shura) Council, slammed what he called Israel's "stalling in its implementation of the [ceasefire's] terms," refusal to open the Rafah crossing to injured Gazans, and prevention of humanitarian aid.
Reaffirming Hamas's commitment to the ceasefire, Darwish emphasized the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and "an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital." He also stated the urgent need for aid and the complete reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Darwish also reportedly thanked Fidan and Kalin for Turkey's support of the Palestinian cause.
Fidan and Kalin both noted their country's position on the ceasefire, standing alongside the Palestinian people against "Israeli aggression," Hamas stated. They both reportedly agreed with Darwish's claim of Israeli violation of the ceasefire as well, noting Turkey's ongoing efforts to maintain the agreement.
Hamas's violations of the current ceasefire
Despite Hamas's assertion of a commitment to the ongoing ceasefire, events and reports since its inception have undermined that claim.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas was supposed to return the remains of all the hostages remaining in Gaza. After the remains of Tamir Adar and Arie Zalamanowicz were returned on Tuesday evening, 13 hostages remain in Gaza.
Additionally, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has been secretly planning to continue to take a role in the future leadership of the Gaza Strip, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Tuesday morning.
Further, earlier this week, Hamas fired an anti-tank missile at IDF soldiers operating in Gaza, killing two and seriously wounding another.
Sam Halpern and Goldie Katz contributed to this report.