Image of Turkey’s President Erdogan With Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar Is Photoshopped
The Claim
The new friend of Erdogan, the head of Hamas, the mass murderer Yahya Sinwar.
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Emerging story
After Yahya Sinwar was appointed as Hamas’s new political leader, social media users widely circulated an image purporting to show Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting with Hamas’s chief, Yahya Sinwar.
Israel Katz, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, first spread the image, along with the translated caption, “The new friend of Erdogan @RTErdogan, the head of Hamas, the mass murderer Yahya Sinwar. The Turkish people are ashamed of you!”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral image and found it to be fake.
Misbar’s team conducted a thorough reverse image search and found the image making the rounds to be photoshopped.
An Image Shows Erdogan With Ismail Haniyeh, Not Sinwar
Despite social media users' claims, the image is not real. It was digitally manipulated to replace the late Ismail Haniyeh's face with Yahya Sinwar.
Misbar's investigative team traced the original photo back to April 20, 2024, showing Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, then the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Istanbul, Turkey.
The image was captured by photographer Murat Cetinmuhurdar at the Turkish Presidential Press Office.
Al Jazeera also uploaded the same image to a published article about the two leaders meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
Moreover, AP’s YouTube channel uploaded a video showing the moment the original image was captured on April 20, 2024.
Erdogan Meets Haniyeh To Discuss Lasting Regional Peace
During a meeting in Istanbul on April 20, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and achieve a lasting peace in the region with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to his office.
This was the first meeting between Erdogan and a Hamas delegation led by Haniyeh since Israel launched its barbaric offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Turkish presidency issued a statement noting that the discussions focused on Israel's attacks on Palestinian territories, especially Gaza, the need for adequate and uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the pursuit of a fair and lasting peace process in the region.
Turkey has condemned Israel's war on Gaza since October 7 and has called for an immediate ceasefire. Erdogan has described Hamas as a "liberation movement" and criticized the West for what he perceives as its unconditional support for Israel. Besides, Ankara has imposed trade restrictions on Israel.
Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh Assassination in Iran
On July 31, 2024, Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran, Iran's capital. According to the Hamas movement, Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when the building they were staying in was struck.
The assassination has sparked widespread anger across Palestine and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” against Israel in retaliation for the killing of Haniyeh.
Yahya Sinwar: New Political Leader of Hamas
In August, Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar, the group's top official in Gaza, as the new leader of its political bloc following the assassination of political chief Ismail Haniyeh. The assassination, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, has escalated tensions in the Middle East to their highest level since October.
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera, Hamas "remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics. The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”
Sinwar has been at the top of Israel’s hit list since October 7, with Israeli political figures repeatedly vowing to assassinate him.
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