Editing Hamas (section)

=== Qatar and Turkey ===
{{see also|Qatari support for Hamas|Turkish support for Hamas}}
According to Middle East experts, now Hamas has two firm allies: [[Qatar]] and [[Turkey]]. Both give Hamas public and financial assistance estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.<ref name="time"/> Qatar has transferred more than $1.8 billion to Hamas.<ref name="allies">{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-hamas/a-57537872|title=What is Hamas and who supports it?|author=Ehl, David|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=15 May 2021|access-date=20 March 2024|archive-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011025905/https://amp.dw.com/en/who-is-hamas/a-57537872|url-status=live}}</ref> Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow at the [[Royal United Services Institute]], says that "Qatar also hosts Hamas's political bureau which includes Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal." Meshaal also visits Turkey frequently to meet with Turkish Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]].<ref name="time"/> Erdogan has dedicated himself to breaking Hamas out of its political and economic seclusion. On [[Television in the United States|US television]], Erdogan said in 2012 that "I don't see Hamas as a terror organization. Hamas is a [[political party]]."<ref name="theatlantic.com"/>

Qatar has been called Hamas' most important financial backer and foreign ally.<ref name="allies"/><ref>{{Cite news|date=19 June 2017|title=Hamas is feeling the pain of Qatar's crisis, and is looking to Egypt for help|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-qatar-hamas-egypt-20170619-story.html}}</ref> In 2007, Qatar was, with Turkey, the only country to back Hamas after the group ousted the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip.<ref name="time"/> The relationship between Hamas and Qatar strengthened in 2008 and 2009 when Khaled Meshaal was invited to attend the Doha Summit where he was seated next to the then Qatari Emir [[Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani]], who pledged $250&nbsp;million to repair the damage caused by Israel in the Israeli war on Gaza.<ref name="al-monitor.com"/> These events caused Qatar to become the main player in the "Palestinian issue". Qatar called Gaza's blockade unjust and immoral, which prompted the Hamas government in Gaza, including former Prime Minister [[Ismail Haniyeh]], to thank Qatar for their "unconditional" support. Qatar then began regularly handing out political, material, humanitarian and charitable support for Hamas.<ref name="al-monitor.com"/>
[[File:Numan Kurtulmuş İsmail Heniye.jpeg|thumb|Haniyeh with Turkish Minister of Culture [[Numan Kurtulmuş]], 20 November 2012]]

In 2011, U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] personally requested that Qatar, one of the U.S.'s most important Arab allies, provide a base for the Hamas leadership. At the time, the U.S. were seeking to establish communications with Hamas and believed that a Hamas office in Qatar would be easier to access than a Hamas bureau in Iran, the group's main backer.<ref name="FTQatar">{{Cite news |title=Qatar reconsiders mediator role between Hamas and Israel |url=https://www.ft.com/content/007b0cce-1778-4ba8-a3c0-0879e8492292 |access-date=26 April 2024 |newspaper=Financial Times|date=18 April 2024 |last1=England |first1=Andrew }}</ref><ref name="SpiegelQatar">{{Cite news |last=Koelbl |first=Susanne |date=2 November 2023 |title=NATO Partner and Hamas Host |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-partner-and-hamas-host-a-39579533-e4a2-400a-a78e-9a8836606ccc |access-date=21 April 2024 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

In 2012, Qatar's former Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, became the first head of state to visit Gaza under Hamas rule. He pledged to raise $400&nbsp;million for reconstruction.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/23/qatari-emir-welcome-gaza-visit|title=Qatari emir's visit to Gaza is a boost for Hamas|first1=Ian|last1=Black|first2=Harriet|last2=Sherwood|date=23 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Sources say that advocating for Hamas is politically beneficial to Turkey and Qatar because the Palestinian cause draws popular support amongst their citizens at home.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/06/world/meast/mideast-hamas-support/index.html|title=Which Mideast power brokers support Hamas? |first=Josh |last=Levs|date=6 August 2014 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Speaking in reference to Qatar's support for Hamas, during a 2015 visit to Palestine, Qatari official Mohammad al-Emadi, said Qatar is using the money not to help Hamas but rather the Palestinian people as a whole. He acknowledges that giving to the Palestinian people means using Hamas as the local contact. Emadi said, "You have to support them. You don't like them, don't like them. But they control the country, you know."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/18/414693807/why-israel-lets-qatar-give-millions-to-hamas|title=Why Israel Lets Qatar Give Millions To Hamas|publisher=NPR|date=18 June 2015}}</ref> Some argue that Hamas's relations with Qatar are putting Hamas in an awkward position because Qatar has become part of the regional Arab problem. Hamas says that having contacts with various Arab countries establishes positive relations which will encourage Arab countries to do their duty toward the Palestinians and support their cause by influencing public opinion in the Arab world.<ref name="al-monitor.com"/> In March 2015, Hamas has announced its support of the [[Saudi Arabia]]n-led [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|military intervention in Yemen]] against the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] [[Houthis]] and forces loyal to former President [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]].<ref>[http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/725241 Hamas supports military operation for political legitimacy in Yemen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807021350/http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/725241 |date=7 August 2016}}. Arab News. 30 March 2015.</ref> In a controversial deal, Israel's government under [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] supported Qatar's payments to Hamas for many years, in the hope that it would turn Hamas into an effective counterweight to the [[Palestinian Authority]] and prevent the establishment of a [[Palestinian state]].<ref name="CNNDec2023">{{Cite web |last1=Elbagir |first1=Nima |last2=Arvanitidis |first2=Barbara |last3=Platt |first3=Alex |last4=Razek |first4=Raja |last5=Ebrahim |first5=Nadeen |date=11 December 2023 |title=Qatar sent millions to Gaza for years – with Israel's backing. Here's what we know about the controversial deal |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-israel-backing-intl/index.html |access-date=6 April 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name="SpiegelQatar" />

In May 2018, [[Turkish president]] Recep Tayyip Erdoğan [[tweeted]] to the [[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a resistance movement that defends the Palestinian homeland against an occupying power. During that period there were conflicts between Israeli troops and Palestinian protestors in the Gaza Strip, due to the decision of the United States to move [[Embassy of the United States, Israel|their embassy to Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246031|title=Erdogan: Hamas is not a terrorist organization|website=Israel National News|date=16 May 2018}}</ref> Also in 2018 the [[Israel Security Agency]] accused [[SADAT International Defense Consultancy]] (a Turkish [[private military company]] with connections to the Turkish government) of transferring funds to Hamas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Turkish Militias and Proxies |url=https://trendsresearch.org/research/turkish-militias-and-proxies/ |website=trendsresearch |date=25 January 2021 |author1=Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak |author2=Dr. Jonathan Spyer |access-date=17 April 2022 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516150904/https://trendsresearch.org/research/turkish-militias-and-proxies/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In February 2020, Hamas leader [[Ismail Haniyeh]] met with Turkish President Erdoğan.<ref>{{cite news|title=US Criticizes Turkey for Hosting Hamas Leaders|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_us-criticizes-turkey-hosting-hamas-leaders/6194990.html|work=VOA News|date=26 August 2020}}</ref> On 26 July 2023, Haniyeh met with Erdoğan and Palestinian Authority President [[Mahmoud Abbas]]. Behind the meeting was Turkey's effort to reconcile [[Fatah]] with Hamas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Erdogan hosts PA's Abbas, Hamas head Haniyeh to prepare for détente talks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/erdogan-hosts-pas-abbas-hamas-head-haniyeh-to-prepare-for-detente-talks/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=26 July 2023}}</ref> On 7 October 2023, the day of the [[2023 Hamas attack on Israel|Hamas attack on Israel]], Haniyeh was in [[Istanbul]], Turkey.<ref>{{cite news |title=Report: Hamas chiefs were asked to leave Turkey after October 7 attacks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-hamas-chiefs-were-asked-to-leave-turkey-after-october-7-attacks/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=23 October 2023}}</ref> On 21 October 2023, Haniyeh spoke with Erdoğan about the latest developments in the [[Gaza war]] and the current situation in Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey's Erdogan discussed Gaza with Hamas leader – Turkish presidenc |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-discussed-gaza-with-hamas-leader-turkish-presidency-2023-10-21/ |work=Reuters |date=21 October 2023}}</ref> On 25 October 2023, Erdoğan said that Hamas was not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people.<ref name="Reuters Erdogan"/>