Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, met Hamas's leader for talks on Saturday amid reports the terror group was seeking to move its political headquarters from Qatar.

Turkish TV showed Mr Erdogan and Ismail Haniyeh warmly embracing at the meeting in Istanbul, during which they discussed humanitarian assistance to Gaza and sanctions that Ankara recently announced against Israel.

The meeting comes amid reports that Hamas is on the lookout for a new base for its operations abroad after Qatar signalled that it no longer wants to host the group.

Doha is reportedly frustrated at the lack of movement in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel since the terror group launched a brutal attack on Oct 7, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages.

"Qatar is in the process of a complete re-evaluation of its role," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the Qatari ruler, earlier this week.

"There are limits to this role and limits to the ability to which we can contribute to these negotiations in a constructive way."

The pair discussed "issues related to Israel's attacks on lands of Palestine, particularly Gaza, efforts for adequate and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a fair and lasting peace process in the region were discussed," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

"Erdogan stressed that Israel should not benefit from the developments [between Iran and Israel] and that it is important to make efforts that will draw attention to Gaza again," the statement added.

Hamas could look to relocate to Turkey

Hamas's political hierarchy has been based in Qatar since 2012, where the Gulf kingdom has put them up in luxury hotels as it has taken on a role as a mediator.

But Hamas has reached out to Oman and at least one other country in the region in recent days to ask if it could relocate there, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Hamas on Saturday denied the report, accusing WSJ of being "part of the Israeli media propaganda".

The meeting between Mr Haniyeh and Mr Erdogan has raised suspicions that Turkey may be looking to fill the gap left by Qatar.

Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister, visited Doha on Wednesday in a sign that Ankara is seeking to deepen ties with Hamas.

The terror group has had a second, smaller office in Istanbul since 2011 and Turkey has long supported the Islamist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot.

Mr Erdogan has long refused to call Hamas a terror group, instead branding it a liberation army, and since the Oct 7 attack he has been one of its most vocal supporters.

"Even if only I, Tayyip Erdogan, remain, I will continue as long as God gives me my life to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people," the Turkish strongman said ahead of the meeting.

Mr Haniyeh was in Istanbul on Oct 7, but was reportedly asked to leave after photos emerged showing Palestinian gunmen celebrating after killing hundreds of civilians.

Shortly afterwards, Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel and Israel extracted its diplomatic team from Turkey.

Unlikely Israel will accept Turkey as mediator

In January, Mr Erdogan announced that he was helping provide documentation for South Africa's case against Israel in the International Court of Justice accusing the Jewish state of genocide.

Mr Erdogan has also compared Benjamin Netanjahu, the Israeli prime minister, to Hitler over the tactics employed by the Israeli army in Gaza.

Earlier this month, Ankara announced sanctions against Israel on goods including steel, aluminium and cement, saying the export ban would be lifted when Israel agreed to a ceasefire.

Israelis have responded by boycotting Turkish fruit and vegetables.

Any products including the word "Turkish" - such as Strauss Group's Elite Turkish Coffee - have also had to rebrand amid the backlash, instead using slogans such as "long live Israel" on its packaging alongside the Israeli flag.

As a result, it is unlikely Israel would be willing to accept Mr Erdogan as a mediator in the conflict.

Doha is widely seen by the Israeli government as too biased to be impartial, and many are hoping that if they do step aside, Cairo will step into the role instead.

"Egypt should have been the main mediator from the beginning," a member of the hostage negotiation team in Israel told The Telegraph.

"They don't align with the Muslim Brotherhood mentality and have no vested interests with Hamas like Qatar and Turkey do. Both countries have for years supported Hamas and both align with the Islamist ideology Hamas holds."

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