An indictment drafted by İstanbul prosecutors seeks prison sentences up to 45 years for 20 suspects who are accused of spying on Palestinians and Hamas-linked individuals in Turkey for Israeli intelligence service Mossad, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Sixteen of the 20 suspects are currently in pretrial detention, arrested as part of an operation in January targeting people allegedly engaged in spying in Turkey for Mossad.
The minimum sentence sought by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for the suspects on charges of military and political espionage is 18 years, nine months.
Mossad allegedly communicated with the suspects about the individuals it had targeted through job advertisements on social media and other communications applications and seven different phone numbers.
Mossad allegedly sought to gather information, photos, videos and documents about Palestinians in Turkey with the help of the suspects.
The suspects obtained secret documents about Palestinians and Hamas-linked individuals in Turkey as well as their home addresses and photos and passed them to Israeli intelligence officials, according to the indictment.
The suspects received money transfers from Mossad in return for their services, sometimes in the form of cryptocurrency and sometimes through Western Union, the indictment said.
The suspects allegedly aimed to pinpoint the neighborhoods where large numbers of Palestinians live. According to the prosecutors, the next step after the determination of the location of the targeted Palestinians would be either their assassination or kidnapping.
Reports from the Financial Crimes Investigation Authority (MASAK) included in the indictment revealed that the suspects obtained illegal gains through criminal activities.
One of the defendants, Hazem Mounir Amin Algayyar, who was working for the health directorate in İstanbul’s Fatih district as a community support staffer due to his knowledge of Arabic, is accused in the indictment of collecting information about wounded and lower-income individuals who had arrived from Palestine.
The indictment has been accepted by the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court.
Turkey’s national police department and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) conducted a series of operations earlier this year in which dozens of people suspected of planning kidnappings and engaging in espionage for Mossad were detained. Some of the detainees were later arrested.
These events have heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel as there were reports of Israel’s intention to target members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Turkey.
Turkey, unlike many of its NATO allies, does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and has warned of serious consequences if Israel targets Hamas members within its borders. This series of arrests and the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza have further strained relations between Turkey and Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been vocal in his condemnation of Israeli actions and policies.
Israel began pounding the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented surprise attack in Israel on October 7 that claimed some 1,200 lives.
Israeli air and ground attacks in Gaza have resulted in at least 41,000 deaths since October 7 according to the local health ministry in addition to causing massive destruction in the enclave.