ANKARA/DUBAI ¨C Turkey¡¯s ties to Hamas, once a liability in Washington, have turned into a geopolitical asset. By persuading Hamas to accept U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s Gaza deal, Ankara has reasserted itself on the Middle East chessboard, to the dismay of Israel and Arab rivals.
Initially resistant to the U.S. president¡¯s ultimatum ¡ª free the Israeli hostages or face continued devastation ¡ª Hamas leaders relented only when Turkey, a country they view as a political patron, urged them to agree to the American plan.
Two regional sources and two Hamas officials said Ankara¡¯s message was unequivocal: The time had come to accept.
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