Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Wednesday with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing to the second phase of the agreement, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

The source said Hamas officials told Fidan they had fulfilled their requirements as part of the ceasefire deal, but that Israel’s continued “targeting” of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from moving to the next phase. Since the start of the ceasefire, Israel has targeted numerous individuals it said were terror operatives who crossed into Israel-controlled territory.

The Hamas members also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods like medication, equipment for housing and fuel were needed, the source added.

Fidan’s meeting with Hamas officials underscored Ankara’s continued engagement with the terror group. Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, Turkey has positioned itself as one of Hamas’s most vocal supporters on the international stage.

Erdogan has repeatedly praised Hamas as a “resistance movement,” accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and severed key economic and diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, including suspending trade and restricting Israeli access to Turkish airspace.

Wednesday’s revelation came as Turkish pro-government media sharply escalated its rhetoric against Israel, portraying it as a primary strategic threat to Ankara.

The daily Yeni Şafak, a newspaper closely aligned with Erdogan, declared on its front page on Wednesday that “Israel is now the........

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