ANKARA: Turkey yesterday denounced the US decision to put the head of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on its terror blacklist, saying it hoped the move would not have a negative impact on Ankara’s humanitarian aid to Gaza, reports AFP.

 The US State Department on Wednesday also slapped sanctions on Ismail Haniya, who was named head of Hamas in May 2017.

Hamas has been on the US terror blacklist since 1997 but Turkey’s ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party has friendly ties with the movement.