Erdoğan: Israel will `pay a price’ if they pursue Hamas in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned Israeli authorities not to pursue Hamas members on Turkish territory.

“If they dare to take such a step against Turkey, they will pay the price in a way that they will not be able to recover,’’ Erdoğan told reporters on his return flight from Qatar on Wednesday.

Erdoğan’s remarks were carried by his communication office in response to a question on reported Israeli intelligence service plans to assassinate Hamas members abroad.

Earlier, on Monday, state news agency Anadolu cited Turkish intelligence services as saying Israel will face “serious consequences’’ should it targets Hamas members in Turkey.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that Israel’s secret services were preparing to track down and kill Hamas leaders around the world after the end of the Gaza war.

Turkey maintains links with the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and rejects the classification of the group as terrorists, which European countries and the United States do.