Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey’s intelligence chief and President Erdoğan’s chosen successor, played a key role in the Gaza talks; known for his ties with Israeli officials, he aims to rebuild relations and even bring Israeli tourists back to Turkey
By Smadar Perry
Oct 13, 2025
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.
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.
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