Hamas Shifts Covert Operations from Qatar to Turkey

Hamas is relocating its clandestine planning and cyber units from Qatar to Turkey after Qatari security forces tightened restrictions on the group’s leadership. The move follows the appointment of Khalil al‑Hayya as Hamas’s political bureau chief, a decision Qatar opposed in favor of Khaled Mashaal. While Qatar will continue to host Hamas’s public political leadership, the organization is transferring most covert activities to Turkey, where it can operate without the same movement limitations.

Turkey does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, allowing the group to maintain offices and conduct technical programs on Turkish soil. The relocation is seen as a response to both Qatari pressure and broader Israeli and U.S. concerns about Hamas’s presence in Doha, and it may deepen the group’s alignment with Ankara.