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Top Turkish diplomat refutes allegations that Hamas leaders moved to Turkey

Turkey’s authorities said several times earlier that Hamas representatives periodically visit Turkey but dismissed allegations that the movement’s leadership has relocated to their country are untrue

ISTANBUL, November 23. /TASS/. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has refuted allegation the Hamas leadership moved from Qatar to Turkey.

"We have already refuted these rumors. Qatar has denied these allegations too. Hamas’ political bureau has not moved to Turkey," the TRT Haber television channel quoted him as saying.

Turkey’s authorities said several times earlier that Hamas representatives periodically visit Turkey but dismissed allegations that the movement’s leadership has relocated to their country are untrue.

The Time of Israel newspaper reported earlier, citing an unnamed Arab diplomat, that Hamas senior officials had relocated from Qatar to Turkey after Doha had announced its decision to suspend its mediation of the Gaze ceasefire talks. Qatari foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari, said on November 9 that his country’s authorities had decided to suspend their mediatory efforts toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as the parties to the conflict looked unwilling to end it. However, he refuted reports about the closure of the Hamas office in Doha.

The Hamas office has been operating in Qatar since 2012 when the movement’s leaders had to leave their headquarters in Damascus amid a civil war in Syria. Qatar granted political asylum to the Hamas leaders.

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