The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday referred to Khaled Mashal, a deputy of slain Ismail Haniyeh, as the acting chief of Hamas' political bureau, Ednews informs via Sputnik.
"Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with acting Hamas political bureau head Khaled Mashal in the Qatari capital of Doha and expressed his condolences," the ministry said, adding Haniyeh's two sons took part in the Doha meeting.
Hamas refuted the claim in a comment to Sputnik, saying it would announce Haniyeh's successor after the meeting of its consultative Shura Council.
"We refute the appointment of the late chief Ismail Haniyeh's successor. We will make an official announcement after the election, which will be held after the Shura Council," Basem Naim, a member of Hamas' political office in Gaza, said.
