FDD
UNRWA’s Pivot To Ankara Cements a Future for Hamas in Turkey
Sinan Ciddi and William Doran
January 12, 2026

A conduit for terrorism has found a new home. On January 8, the Commissioner-General for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini met with Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan and announced that the agency plans to open an Ankara office “within weeks.” Given UNRWA’s well-documented history of diverting funds and embedding Hamas operatives in its schools and facilities — and Turkey’s equally established record under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of providing material and political support to Hamas — the decision to open a UNRWA office in Turkey creates a permissive new hub for the terror group to rebuild its financial networks, operational infrastructure, and international reach…Since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, Erdogan has repeatedly described Hamas as a “resistance” movement, including during his most recent visit to Washington in September 2025.  READ MORE