Just over a year ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement that drew global attention from intelligence and diplomatic circles alike. In Israel, few were surprised when Erdoğan dramatically announced that his closest adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, would be his successor.
Their relationship goes back many years, when Erdoğan sought “serious-minded” figures from academia to join his inner circle. He received glowing recommendations for “Dr. Kalin, the quiet scholar,” and soon brought him into the presidential office. For nine years, Kalin served as Erdoğan’s spokesman, though senior Israeli officials who know him say he was far more than that. Erdoğan trusts him completely — he is, they say, “the president’s shadow.”
When U.S. President Donald Trump added Turkey to the team negotiating the Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal in Sharm el-Sheikh, it was the first time Ankara was seated as an equal alongside mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. Representing Turkey was Kalin, who has served for two years as head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Kalin is well acquainted with Mossad chief David Barnea, former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. He also kept in touch with Irit Lillian, Israel’s former ambassador to Turkey, inviting her for discussions in broader diplomatic forums. “He really listened to the Israeli side’s assessments,” said one Israeli official.
Unlike Erdoğan, who often lashes out at Israel, Kalin views the situation with far greater nuance. He publicly echoed his president’s criticism that Israel “has caused great suffering to Gaza’s residents,” but privately, sources say, the plight of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas genuinely moved him.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
(Photo: Mustafa Kamaci/Turkish Presidential Press Office/ Reuters)
Kalin recognizes Israel as a state and, in his role as intelligence chief, quietly maintains professional ties with his Israeli counterparts. A small example came last week in Sharm el-Sheikh, when Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, head of the IDF Hostage and Missing Persons Directorate, approached Kalin and embraced him naturally.
“He’s not anti-Israel,” said a senior intelligence source. “He’s sharp, principled, an intellectual — and a man with unusual hobbies.”
Among those hobbies is playing the bağlama, a seven-string Turkish lute. Kalin often uploads videos of himself strumming and singing folk songs — an image unimaginable for an Israeli Mossad or Shin Bet chief. Another passion is nature photography: landscapes and wildlife, never people.
During the recent talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Erdoğan’s office in Ankara called Kalin four times for updates on the negotiations. Erdoğan has described the ceasefire as “very fragile,” while Kalin stressed: “We’ll be in Gaza to ensure the agreement is upheld.” He also announced that Turkey plans to send hundreds of workers to Gaza to assist with reconstruction.
Kalin, according to people close to him, hopes to gradually and cautiously restore relations with Israel. Turkish Airlines has hinted at plans to resume flights to Israel, asking for takeoff and landing slots at Ben Gurion Airport. Until two years ago, 14 flights a day operated between the two countries, but tourism halted amid tension. “He wants to break the ice,” a source close to Kalin said, “send a Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv, welcome an Israeli envoy in Ankara, restart flights, revive tourism and strengthen trade and agricultural cooperation.”
He is 54, married with three children. Israeli intelligence profiles describe him as “an intellectual, somewhat eccentric, spiritually inclined — religious but tolerant, respectful of other faiths.” Erdoğan appointed him to lead the team overseeing Gaza negotiations and the next phase of diplomacy, while assigning Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to the equally sensitive Syria portfolio.
From Israel’s perspective, Kalin’s main advantage lies in his direct contact with Hamas leadership in Qatar and certain figures inside Gaza — connections that helped him reach those holding Israeli hostages. Such direct communication did not exist before Trump’s decision to bring Turkey into the talks.
Israeli officials quietly acknowledge that in recent days, Ankara has exerted significant pressure on Hamas leadership. In one of their final conversations, Erdoğan urged Kalin, “Don’t leave Sharm until you get a deal.” Kalin later informed his boss: “We’re staying until the white smoke rises.”
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who appeared in a video after surviving an Israeli strike in Qatar, stated explicitly: “I received assurances from Kalin that the war is completely over.”
Those close to Kalin caution, however, that Israel has a “poor reputation” for violating agreements while offering “implausible excuses.” According to diplomatic sources, the Turkish delegation led by Kalin even pressed to have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited to the upcoming “Peace Summit” in Sharm el-Sheikh, which coincides with the hostage release.
Why? “Because Israel must be present when the official documents are signed,” one source said. “No excuses — Netanyahu shouldn’t be allowed to slip away.”