Thousands of families from Gaza, allegedly associated with Hamas, have been relocated to Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria, as reported by Hawar news agency (ANHA). This development is seen as part of a broader strategy to alter the demographic composition of the regions that have come under Turkish control following their military offensives.
According to ANHA, since 20 October, the families have been settled in camps established in Afrin (Efrîn) and Al-Bab (Bab). These families were initially transported from Gaza to Kilis and Diyarbakır (Amed) in Turkey and subsequently moved to the Turkish-controlled territories in Syria.
This relocation process is reportedly part of a secret agreement between Turkey, Qatar and Hamas. The plan envisages the settlement of approximately 250,000 Gazans in the regions of Northern Kurdistan, Turkish-controlled northern and eastern Syria, and in areas of Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.
Details about the camps set up for these families have been outlined as follows:
In the village of Jalamah in Afrin’s Jindires district, a camp managed under the supervision of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) has been established. This camp, controlled by the MİT-affiliated paramilitary group Faylaq Al-Sham, features over 4,000 tents and houses.
On 19 October, at the onset of the Hamas-Israel conflict, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood coordinated the relocation of several families from Gaza to the Der Belut Camp in Afrin’s Jindires district. Accompanied by Turkish armoured vehicles, 75 Hamas-linked families were settled in this camp, where an additional 150 tents were erected.
Towards the end of November, a similar setup was created in Al-Bab, where over 150 Hamas-linked families were accommodated in newly established tents.
On 17 November, over 75 families were relocated from Idlib and northern Aleppo to camps in Çeqela village, Şiyê district of Afrin. These families are under the control of a group named El Emshat.
The report also notes that these camps are financially supported by organisations linked to MİT, such as White Hands (Beyaz Eller), the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH), and the Israel-based Palestinian organisation Al Eysh el Kerama, which is allegedly managed by MOSSAD.
Implying a coordination of geostrategic manoeuvres between the two countries, Gregory R. Copley, editor at GIS/Defence & Foreign Affairs, recently posited that Israel also approves of this plan, which corresponds with its objective to relocate Palestinians from its territory.
