Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of his ruling AK Party (AKP), during a meeting at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 28, 2020. Photo: Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Presidential Press Office / Handout via Reuters.

i24 News – Turkey handed over several active Hamas members to Israel, a Palestinian official told Israel Hayom.

“Dozens of people identified with Hamas in various circles have been deported [from Turkey],” the source told the Israeli daily, adding that some of the members have ties to the terror organization’s military wing.

The information was confirmed by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Tuesday, reporting that Hamas members traveling outside of Turkey were not allowed to come back.

According to the Palestinian source, Turkey requested Hamas members to leave the country during the last “few months,” claiming that Israel is responsible for the deportation as they asked the Turkish government to send them a list of Hamas members.

“In response, the Turks contacted Hamas and told them, ‘You promised you wouldn’t do anything like that here, so now you need to leave,'” he said.

In March, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog visited Turkey as the first state visit since 2008, a move that came in response to the warming ties between Ankara and Jerusalem after years of diplomatic coldness and at times open hostility.