From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Istanbul’s mayor, an Erdogan rival, says Hamas is a terror group, was ‘deeply saddened’ by Oct. 7
Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calls Hamas a terror group and says Turkey is “deeply saddened” by the October 7 massacre, in an interview with CNN.
“Any organized structure that carries out terrorist acts and kills people en masse is considered a terrorist organization by us,” he says.
Imamoglu adds that similar crimes are happening to Palestinians and calls on Israel to end its war against Hamas.
Imamoglu’s victory in the March municipal election marked the worst defeat for Erdogan and his AK Party (AKP) in their more than two decades in power, and could signal a change in the country’s divided political landscape.
The Turkish government under Erdogan openly supports Hamas, denounces Israel for its offensive in the Gaza Strip and has called for an immediate ceasefire.
Last year, the Turkish leader likened the tactics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and called Israel a “terrorist state” because of its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
ראש עיריית איסטנבול אקרם אימאמאולו ל-CNN: "חמאס ביצע מתקפה בישראל שהעציבה אותנו למדי. אנו מחשיבים כל מבנה שרוצח אנשים כארגון טרור"@RamEliBrandts pic.twitter.com/cMPFzc8ln9
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 28, 2024
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.