Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that he will meet with the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, “this weekend.”

Erdogan told his party's representatives in the General Assembly: "The leader of the Palestinian issue will be my guest this weekend."

He added, "The Israeli army is carrying out ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."

The Turkish President affirmed, "I will continue to defend the Palestinian cause and will be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people as long as I live, even if I am alone."

The Turkish President considered that there was no difference between the Turkish National Struggle Forces during the War of Independence and the Hamas movement today.

For its part, Hamas said: We appreciate the statements of the Turkish President in which he renewed his positions in continuing his defense of the Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle to liberate their land.

The movement stated in a statement, "We express our pride in the Turkish President's support for the movement and its resistance project in defending the Palestinian people, their land, and their sanctities."