Israel’s foreign ministry summoned the deputy Turkish ambassador for reprimand on Friday after Turkey’s flag was flown at half-mast at its embassy in Tel Aviv over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya.

“The state of Israel will not tolerate expressions of mourning for a murderer like Ismail Haniya,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

Haniya was killed in Tehran a few hours after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Massoud Pezheskian. Israel has not claimed responsibility for his death, but Iran and allies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, attribute the killing to Israel and have vowed revenge.

The Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan declared Friday, August 2, a day of national mourning for Haniya.

In his statement, Katz said Haniya was the leader of Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel in which about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed and 250 people were taken hostage.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli, responding to Katz’s comments on social media platform X, said: “You cannot achieve peace by killing negotiators, threatening diplomats,” in an apparent reference to Haniya’s murder.

Tensions between Israel and Turkey have risen since the start of the Gaza war, in which more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed.