The United States is urging Turkey to extradite senior Hamas officials who have taken refuge within its borders.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Monday that several members of Hamas are on Washington's list of designated terrorists and should be handed over if they are located in Turkey.
During a press conference, Miller asserted that leaders of a violent terrorist organization like Hamas should not enjoy a comfortable existence, particularly in a country considered one of the U.S.'s key partners, such as Turkey. He emphasized that the U.S. will communicate to the Turkish government that maintaining business as usual with Hamas is not acceptable.
In response, a Turkish diplomatic source dismissed a Reuters report suggesting that Hamas was relocating its office from Doha, Qatar, to Turkey. The source clarified that while members of Hamas may visit Turkey occasionally, the claim of a permanent transfer is "absolutely" false.
