Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu told CNN on Sunday that the Palestinian group Hamas should be considered a terrorist group due to its attacks on Israel on 7 October.

The comments by the prominent Turkish opposition politician represent a sharp contrast with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's position, which has tolerated the presence of Hamas officials on Turkish territory and likened their fight to Turkey's own historic struggle for independence.

"Of course, Hamas carried out an attack in Israel that we deeply regret," Imamoglu said, adding: "In our eyes, any organisation that carries out these terrorist acts and kills people en masse is a terrorist organisation."

Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), won a landslide victory in local elections on 31 March, leading to his re-election as mayor of Turkey's biggest city. He defeated his ruling AK Party rival, former minister of urbanisation, Murat Kurum, by nearly 12 points.

READ MORE: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group