Turkiye has transformed its previously problematic ties to Hamas into a geopolitical asset, leveraging the group’s acceptance of Donald Trump’s Gaza deal to reassert influence in the Middle East, alarming Israel and Arab rivals.

Initially resistant to the U.S. president’s ultimatum — free the Israeli hostages or face continued devastation — Hamas leaders relented only when Turkiye, a country they view as a political patron, urged them to agree to the American plan.

Two regional sources and two Hamas officials told Reuters that Ankara’s message was unequivocal: The time had come to accept.

“This gentleman from a place called Turkiye is one of the most powerful in the world,” Trump said last week, referring to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, after the Palestinian militant group agree

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