Khaberni - "Middle East Eye" reported that Israel allowed earlier this month the departure of at least 66 Palestinians and Turks from the Gaza Strip, following an official request from Turkey.
The group included 16 members of the family of the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
According to informed sources, the group included 14 Turkish citizens and 40 of their first-degree relatives, including spouses, children, fathers, and mothers, as part of a bilateral arrangement between Israel and Turkey.
The decision came after a ceasefire in Gaza was reached in the first week of October, where Turkey played a mediator role by helping persuade Hamas to engage in negotiations.
Five of the sixteen members of the Haniyeh family were relatives of Turkish citizens.
Turkey maintained continuous contacts with Ismail Haniyeh, who headed the political bureau of Hamas until he was assassinated by Israel in Tehran in July 2024.
"The Telegraph" reported in 2020 that Turkey had granted citizenship to a number of Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh.
Israel's decision to allow members of the Haniyeh family to leave Gaza is notable, especially since the Israeli military had killed three of his sons and four of his grandchildren in an airstrike targeting their car in April 2024.
At roughly the same time, Israel arrested his sister Sabah Salem Haniyeh, who was living in the town of Tel Sheva in southern Israel.
According to sources familiar with decision-making circles in Tel Aviv, the Israeli move aims to ease tensions with Ankara by positively responding to Turkish diplomatic requests.
