34 people suspected of spying and planning “assassinations” for Israel have been arrested in Turkey.

Is this case connected to Hamas and the Gaza war? Turkish authorities remained evasive in their response. On Tuesday, they announced that the country had arrested 34 people suspected of spying for Israel.

The suspects, arrested in several provinces of Turkey, are suspected of spying on foreign citizens living in the country on behalf of Israeli intelligence services, the official Anadolu news agency said, without specifying the nationality of the accused or the people being spied on.

Leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have long sought refuge in Istanbul but were asked by Turkish authorities to leave Turkey following an Oct. 7 attack from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory that killed some 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on based on the latest official Israeli data.

However, Hamas leaders have since visited Turkey, in particular to meet with senior Turkish officials. In early December, President Erdogan warned Israel of “serious consequences” if Hamas members were targeted on Turkish soil.

According to the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, thirteen other suspects are currently wanted for the same actions. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced this on social media.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in turn, condemned the “attempt of sabotage against Turkey and its interests.” “We are going to stop this merry-go-round,” he said.

Several incidents in the past

In 2021 and 2022, Turkish police arrested dozens of people suspected of spying on Palestinians living in Turkey on behalf of Israeli intelligence services.

And in the spring of 2022, Israeli media reported attempts to attack Israeli tourists in Istanbul, foiled by the cooperation of Turkish and Israeli services. Turkish police subsequently arrested eight people, including Iranians.

Climate hostile to Israel

Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in early October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a traditional ally of the Palestinian cause, has stepped up his insults against Israel.

Turkey’s president, ushering in a new era in relations with Israel in 2022 after a decade of estrangement, assessed on Wednesday that there is “no difference” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler. In mid-October, Israel asked its citizens and diplomats stationed in Turkey to leave the country as a security measure.