The family of the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has refuted claims that some of their relatives were permitted to exit the Gaza Strip following a request from Turkey. Abdul Salam Haniyeh, the eldest son of the deceased leader, categorically denied these reports in a statement to Middle East Eye, asserting that no arrangements or discussions regarding such a move had taken place. This rebuttal comes in response to earlier reports suggesting that Israel had allowed at least 66 Palestinians and Turkish citizens to leave Gaza earlier this month, facilitated by a bilateral agreement between Israel and Turkey. While some of those who departed reportedly shared the Haniyeh surname, Abdul Salam clarified that none were directly related to his father. He dismissed the news as false and aimed at sowing confusion. The reported deal followed a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in early October, brokered in part by Turkey. Turkey had maintained longstanding ties with Ismail Haniyeh, who led Hamas’s political bureau until his assassination by Israel in Tehran in July 2024. An Israeli decision to permit Haniyeh’s relatives to leave Gaza would be unexpected, given the Israeli military’s April 2024 airstrike that killed three of his sons and four grandchildren in Gaza. Additionally, Haniyeh’s sister, Sabah al-Salem Haniyeh, was arrested around the same time in Tel Sheva, a southern Israeli town. Middle East Eye, known for its independent coverage of the Middle East and North Africa, continues to provide in-depth analysis of the region’s complex geopolitical landscape.