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  • 12 May, 2024

Turkish police have arrested 33 people accused of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency after the regime in Tel Aviv threatened to attack members of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas living abroad, including in Turkey.

In his writings, The Turkish minister said the suspects aim to identify, surveil, attack, and kidnap foreigners living in Turkey. "

He added: "During the search, €143,830, $23,680, various types of cash from various countries, large quantities of cartridges and digital materials were seized."

Yerlikaya emphasized Turkey's determination to fight organized crime and foreign intelligence activities. Anadolu Agency reports that there are 13 more suspects.

Turkish police previously dismantled a spy ring targeting Palestinians living in Turkey. Last July, Turkish authorities announced that they had discovered and dismantled a "ghost" Mossad spy network in Istanbul after months of surveillance.

A significant MIT effort in Turkey uncovered 56 agents who were spying on non-Turkish citizens of Turkey for the Mossad. Also in May, Turkish media reported that local authorities had arrested 11 people suspected of being members of the Mossad network.

Turkey also dismantled the Mossad spy organization in 2021 and 2022. The arrests come a month after Israel's KAN news network aired a recording of Ronen Bar, the head of Israel's domestic intelligence agency, known as Shin Bet, saying that Tel Aviv would kill Hamas leaders "if be necessary." He said he decided. See "Locations" globally.

"Everyone from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar," Bar added in the note. "It will take years, but we will do it."

At the time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Israel that there would be a "heavy price" if the regime in Tel Aviv went ahead with its plan to attack members of Hamas on Turkish soil.

Israel began its war in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al Aqsa Storm against the occupation forces, following decades of oppression and destruction of Palestinians by the Israeli regime. The Tel Aviv regime has killed 21,978 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 57,700 since the attacks began.

President Erdogan condemned Israel's brutal attack on the Gaza Strip and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal.

Turkey and Israel have maintained some form of diplomatic ties, with the two countries trying to normalize relations by reappointing their ambassadors after years of tension. However, the current war in Gaza has significantly worsened relations between the two countries.