The US warned Turkey against hosting members of Hamas' leadership, after reports emerged that several senior members of Hamas left Qatar for Ankara last week.

Asked about the media reports that some Hamas leaders had moved to Turkey from Qatar, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller did not confirm the reports but said he was not in a position to dispute them.

“We don’t believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes in a major city of one of our key allies and partners,” he said.

Calling Hamas a brutal terrorist organization, Miller stated that a number of members of Hamas have been under U.S. indictment for some time and that they should be turned over to the United States.

Miller added: “We will make clear to the Government of Turkey, as we have made clear to every country in the world, that there can be no more business as usual with Hamas.”