Israel unmasks Iran-directed Hamas cash network in Turkey as Ankara pushes for Gaza role

The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency person exposed what they picture arsenic a concealed Hamas money-exchange web operating successful cardinal Turkey "under Iran’s direction," according to documents and statements released this week.

According to the quality released by the IDF and ISA, exiled Gazans based successful Turkey person utilized the country’s fiscal infrastructure to determination ample sums of wealth for Hamas, with transfers totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

The agencies accidental the web operates successful practice with the Iranian regime, transferring funds to Hamas and its elder officials and, according to Israel, helping the radical rebuild its capabilities extracurricular Gaza.

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Israeli quality identifies 3 Gazan operatives moving nether Iranian absorption successful Turkey: Tamer Hassan, a elder fig successful Hamas’s concern office, on with currency exchangers Khalil Farwana and Farid Abu Dair. (Photo: IDF) (IDF )

The recently exposed documents see records of currency transfers amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, which officials accidental correspond lone a tiny information of the wide activity.

According to the Israeli information agencies, the web receives, stores, and transfers Iranian funds from wrong Turkey.

The IDF and ISA identified 3 Gazan operatives moving successful Turkey whom they accidental are cardinal to the network: Tamer Hassan, described arsenic a elder authoritative successful Hamas’s concern bureau successful Turkey operating straight nether Khalil al-Hayya, and currency exchangers Khalil Farwana and Farid Abu Dair.

Israel says Iran’s backing has remained changeless and that Hamas continues to rebuild its operational capabilities beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip.

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People protestation successful enactment of Palestinians successful Gaza during a protestation rally successful Istanbul, Turkey, connected Feb. 17, 2024, amid the ongoing warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The timing of the IDF and ISA revelations comes amid an ongoing U.S. statement implicit Turkey’s determination relation and its narration with Hamas. Fox News has antecedently reported that Turkey has hosted Hamas figures for years and has sought a starring relation successful postwar Gaza, adjacent arsenic the Trump medication weighs whether to let Turkish troops to enactment successful a U.S.-backed stabilization mission.

Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey adept astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Ankara’s governmental extortion of Hamas — paired with its hostility toward Israeli subject actions — has created a permissive sanctuary that Israeli unit unsocial cannot unopen down. 

Ciddi argues the beingness of Turkish-based operatives shows however Hamas has diversified its fiscal footprint to evade sanctions and borderline controls. Ciddi added that for Israel, "this is not conscionable a fiscal interest but a strategical informing signal", arguing that Iran is embedding itself deeper into Turkey’s economical ecosystem and enabling a determination proxy to regenerate and task forces. If near unchecked, helium warned, "the web could substance aboriginal attacks and grow Hamas’s power crossed the region, undermining Israel’s warfare aims and semipermanent security."

In a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital, Gonul Tol, elder chap astatine the Middle East Institute and writer of "Erdoğan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle astatine Home and successful Syria," said Turkey’s assertive Gaza posture is profoundly tied to Erdoğan’s home governmental endurance and his longstanding enactment for Islamist movements crossed the region.

"The superior extremity determination is home politics," she said. "Erdoğan has ever framed himself arsenic the champion of the Palestinian cause, and by his astir blimpish constituency, he’s often pushed to instrumentality a beardown stance against Israel."

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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally successful solidarity with Palestinians successful Gaza, amid the ongoing struggle betwixt Israel and the Palestinian Islamist radical Hamas, successful Istanbul, Turkey October 28, 2023.  (Reuters/Dilara Senkaya)

But Tol noted that Erdoğan has besides been pragmatic down the scenes, peculiarly successful his dealings with Washington. "People successful his ellipse accidental the Hamas enactment had been asked to permission Turkey quietly. They are doing everything not to choler the Trump administration," she said.

She added that Erdoğan adjacent pushed Hamas to judge Trump’s Gaza proposal, noting that it included provisions that did not favour the organization.

Israeli officials person agelong argued that Turkey’s permissive situation has allowed Hamas to run outer networks, including fiscal arms backed by Iran, and accidental the recently released quality underscores the risks of allowing Turkey deeper engagement successful Gaza’s future.

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People stitchery successful enactment of the caller attacks connected Israel by the Palestinian militant radical Hamas astatine Fatih Mosque connected October 07, 2023, successful Istanbul, Turkey.  (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

In announcing the findings, the IDF and ISA warned individuals and institutions against engaging with the exposed web oregon immoderate different fiscal arms linked to Hamas, saying specified interactions hazard contributing to violent financing and aiding Hamas’s attempts to reconstitute its infrastructure abroad.

The Turkish Embassy did not respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.