Exclusive: Israel allows Turkish nationals and relatives to leave Gaza
Israel allowed at least 66 Palestinians and Turkish citizens to leave the Gaza Strip earlier this month following a request from Turkey, Middle East Eye has learned.
Fourteen Turkish citizens and 40 close relatives of Turkish citizens, including spouses, sons, fathers and mothers, were released as part of a bilateral arrangement between Israel and Turkey, according to two separate sources.
The decision followed a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the first week of October, in which Turkey played a mediating role.
Some of those who left Gaza were cited by sources as sharing the same family name as Ismail Haniyeh, the late political leader of Hamas who was assassinated by Israel in Tehran in July 2024.
In a statement to MEE after this article was originally published, Haniyeh's eldest son denied that any members of his family had left, or intended to leave.
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"Absolutely no one from the Haniyeh family has left," said Abdul Salam Haniyeh.
"No one has left yet, and there are no arrangements in place for that or even a discussion about it.
“The news is incorrect and is intended to cause confusion."
Sources familiar with Israeli government thinking believe that Israel’s decision to allow Turkish nationals and their relatives to leave reflects an effort to ease tensions with Turkey by responding positively to Ankara’s diplomatic requests.
Moves to ease tensions with Turkey
Since the Gaza ceasefire, media reports in Israel citing anonymous Israeli officials have taken a noticeably softer tone toward Turkey’s senior leadership.
The right-wing outlet Ynet praised Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalin for being “empathetic to hostages” and for seeking “renewed ties with Israel”.
Israeli journalist Ben Caspit, writing earlier this month in Maariv, noted that Israel appears to be looking ahead.
'Turkey is not an enemy of Israel. We have had many years of fruitful trade, economic and tourism relations'
- Uriel Lynn, president of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce
“While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been a vehement critic of Israel, his potential successor, former intelligence chief and current Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, is viewed in Israeli security circles as more pragmatic,” he wrote.
In a separate Maariv article published on Sunday, Uriel Lynn, president of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, argued that it is time for Israel to reach out to Erdogan, calling Turkey “key to the day after in Gaza”.
“Turkey is not an enemy of Israel. We have had many years of fruitful trade, economic and tourism relations,” Lynn wrote.
“Three years ago, during my tenure as president of the Chambers of Commerce, we organised a large business delegation of 65 Israeli companies to visit Turkey. The reception was warm - some 20 media outlets interviewed us positively. This may not be a representative sample, but such treatment would be impossible in a hostile country.”
He added that Israeli foreign policy should be guided by prudence rather than by ministers seeking “childish prominence”, and praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for maintaining restraint in this regard.
“One of the real tests of our new foreign policy will be restoring relations with Turkey,” Lynn concluded.
“This is essential both for stabilising our regional geopolitical environment and for advancing our economic interests.”
Editor's Note: This article was updated on 22 October with a statement from Abdul Salam Haniyeh.
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