Widespread protests erupted across Turkey following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an apparent airstrike at his residence in Tehran on Wednesday.
In Ankara demonstrators gathered at the Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque after afternoon prayers. Organized through social media, the crowd chanted slogans condemning the assassination. The protest, led by the Ankara Palestine Solidarity Platform, included members of unions, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers and civil society organizations.
During the protest, a joint statement accused Israel of hastening the destruction of Palestine with its attacks. Protesters also called for the closure of a NATO radar station in eastern Turkey.
Another protest took place in front of the Israeli ambassador’s residence in Ankara, organized by the ultranationalist Homeland Party (VP). The party’s general secretary, Özgür Bursalı, called for the barring of US and Israeli forces from using a NATO radar station and İncirlik Airbase in southern Turkey, calling the assassination “a sign of Israel’s desperation.”
In İstanbul around 5,000 people, mobilized by an Islamic charity, gathered at Fatih Mosque to protest Haniyeh’s killing. The group then marched to Beyazıt Mosque, chanting slogans such as “Salute Hamas and continue resisting” and “Zionist dogs will pay.”
Violent incidents also occurred in Turkey’s eastern Batman province, where protesters attacked a Starbucks and Burger King. According to reports, the group caused significant damage to the establishments and assaulted customers. Police intervened and detained several individuals.
⚡️ Angry Turks attack and destroy a Starbucks branch in Batman province, Turkey, in protest of the company's support for Israel. pic.twitter.com/sjGbiVxHtT
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) July 31, 2024
Anti-Israel sentiment has been running high in Turkey since Israel began pounding Gaza in retaliation for an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the south of Israel on October 7, 2023, which claimed around 1,200 lives and resulted in the taking of some 250 hostages. The death toll in Gaza, in the meantime, has exceeded 39,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
US missions and businesses in Turkey have been the subject of boycotts and protests since Israel began its offensive. American-owned businesses are targeted due to their real or perceived support for Israel.
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. He was a key figure in recent ceasefire negotiations.
Turkey’s political leaders condemned the assassination. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced it as a “shameful act,” and AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik called it part of a “Zionist plot.” Opposition leaders, including main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, Islamist Felicity Party (SP) leader Temel Karamollaoğlu and jailed Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş also criticized the killing.
Haniyeh’s death marks a significant blow to Hamas and complicates ongoing ceasefire negotiations. He is expected to be buried in Doha, Qatar, on Friday following a funeral in Tehran.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the assassination aimed to expand the Gaza conflict to the broader region, signaling further instability in the Middle East.