The ball is in Israel’s court, Hamas tells to Turkish intel chief

Hamas delegation led by Haniyeh (fourth from left) was seen as Turkish President Erdoğan (middle) received them in İstanbul on April 20, 2024. (Photo: AKP)

According to Turkish security sources, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said that “the ball is in Israel’s court to achieve a ceasefire” during his meeting with İbrahim Kalın, the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on May 12. Security sources who wanted not to be named said that, during Kalın’s meeting with Haniyeh, the ceasefire initiatives and the latest situation in the negotiations, as well as what needs to be done to deliver more humanitarian aid to Palestinians under Israeli siege in Gaza, were discussed. same source said Haniyeh expressed his satisfaction with Turkey’s initiatives in the negotiation process with Israel.

In a speech he delivered on May 11, US President Joe Biden blamed Hamas for the ceasefire and claimed that a cease-fire would be reached “tomorrow” if Hamas released the women and elderly hostages it was holding. Biden’s statement that he would cut bomb shipments to Israel if it attacked Rafah was met with reaction from the Republican Party as well as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The recent vote at the United Nations, which resulted in a landslide in favor of Palestinian statehood, is considered a new sign that the mood in international politics is rapidly turning against Israel and the US administration.