Erdogan claims 1,000 Hamas fighters are being treated in Turkish hospitals

TURKEY’S president has said that more than 1,000 members of Hamas are being treated in Turkish hospitals.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has railed against Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, described Hamas as “a resistance organisation”.

He said: “So many Hamas members have been killed. The whole of the West is attacking them with all sorts of arms and munitions.

“Calling Hamas … a terrorist organisation would be cruel,” Mr Erdoğan said, adding that it was a “very important” question.

Hamas is classed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union, among others.

It is not clear how 1,000 Hamas members would have come to Turkey from Gaza, which has been sealed off by Israel and Egypt since the war began.

However, not all Hamas members are militant fighters, and some badly injured civilians are known to have been moved for treatment.

Turkey is known to host Hamas members and in the past has turned a blind eye to the group’s activities.

Mr Erdoğan has cut trade links with Israel and at the weekend said that the state’s “genocidal methods would make Hitler jealous”.

Mr Erdoğan’s intervention comes after American officials said the leader of Hamas is not hiding in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where Israel is poised to mount a major offensive.

Yahya Sinwar, the terror group’s leader and a mastermind of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel, is likely to be hiding in tunnels under the city of Khan Younis to the north, they said.

The intelligence, reported by The New York Times yesterday, raises further questions over Israel’s plan to invade Rafah, which has alienated its staunchest allies, including the US.

Israel has insisted it must enter Rafah, the last Gazan city untouched by fierce fighting and now home to 1.4 million people, to dismantle the remaining Hamas units and catch its leaders.

Sinwar has become a looming figure in the Israeli national psyche since Oct 7, particularly among politicians and media demanding revenge for the multiple terror attacks that day.

He reportedly retained a veto in recent ceasefire talks with Israel, rejecting any major compromises.

Yesterday, heavy fighting was reported in the eastern edge of Rafah. Israeli tanks and infantry reportedly crossed a key highway on the outskirts of the city.