The Deputy Ambassador Of Turkey Was Summoned By Israel For Lowering The Flag Of Half A Pole Of Death For Hamas Leaders

Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz/PHOTO via Instagram @ katz_israel

JAKARTA - Israel's foreign ministry summoned the deputy ambassador of Turkey regarding the actions of the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv to lower its flag by half a pole in response to mourning the assassination of political leader Hamas Ismail Haniyeh.

"The Israeli state will not tolerate the expression of grief over a killer like Ismail Haniyeh," said Israeli Foreign Minister Katz.

Haniyeh was killed in Tehran while there to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not yet declared responsibility for his death.

But Iran and its allies including Hamas and Hezbollah called Israel committing the murder and vowed to take revenge.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared August 2, a day of national mourning for Haniyeh.

Katz said Haniyeh had been a Hamas leader during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oncu Keceli responded to Katz's statement on social media platform X. "You can't reach peace by killing negotiators, threatening diplomats," he said referring to Haniyeh's murder.

Tensions between Israel and Turkey have risen sharply since the start of the war in Gaza, which killed more than 39,000 Palestinians.