Away from Gaza's hardship: Where are Hamas leaders hiding?
While the IDF daily reports terrorists elimination in Gaza and arrests in the West Bank, the army cannot to reach the Hamas leaders hiding abroad
The United Nations (UN) on Thursday reported that there are no safe places in the Gaza Strip. Yet, for the Hamas leaders, calling the Gazans to “stay strong" amid the ongoing crisis, the situation is not as drastic — in fact, they find themselves far from Gaza's hardships.
For one, the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, together with the family, left his home in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza about two years ago. They now are said to reside in the luxurious hotels of Doha.
His predecessor, Khaled Mashal, also moved to Qatar in 2012, together with the Hamas political office that used to be located in Syria. Other senior officials, including Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesperson in the Gaza Strip and Haniyeh's political advisor Tahar al-Nounou, have also found refuge in Qatar.
Doha manages to host the terrorist group's officials and perform as a mediator in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged Qatar's role in the recent freeing of the two elder Hamas hostages released on Monday.
Despite this, some Israeli politicians have voiced their doubts in regard to Qatari intentions. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “The Israeli government is making a serious moral and practical error. Qatar is not an essential partner for humanitarian and diplomatic operations."
He added: "Qatar is an enemy it itself. It finances Hamas. Israel's stated objective is to destroy Hamas. Qatar's objective is exactly the opposite: to save Hamas."
However, Qatar is not the only destination favored by the Hamas officials: deputy head of the Hamas political office Saleh al-Arouri resides in Lebanon. Considered the group's strategist, he has recently met with the Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Beirut.
Some of the Hamas executives are also known to live in Istanbul. Like many other countries across the Middle East, Turkey has observed strong popular reaction condemning Israel in its war against Hamas.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization and instead labeled it as a "liberation group fighting for the defense of its land." Earlier on Monday, Turkey denied the claim that it asked the Hamas members to leave the country.