Turkey Appoints Khaled Mashal as Acting Head of Hamas Political Bureau

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that Khaled Mashal, a leader of Hamas, has been appointed as the acting head of the movement's political bureau, succeeding Ismail Haniya who was recently assassinated in Tehran. The ministry stated: "Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with acting head of Hamas' political bureau Khaled Mashal in the Qatari capital, Doha, and offered his condolences for the death of Ismail Haniya." Hamas has not yet issued any official statements regarding the individual who will succeed Haniya as head of the political bureau, while Khaled Mashal currently holds the position of head of the political bureau for the movement abroad and is considered one of its founders. According to the Turkish newspaper "Sabah," the Turkish delegation at the funeral includes Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, National Intelligence Organization President İbrahim Kalın, and Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.