The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israel-Hamas war, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel braced for threatened attacks from Iran and its proxies following killings of senior Hamas officials in Iran and Lebanon.

Abbas is due to meet with Erdogan at 6.30om local time at the presidential palace, according to the Turkish leader’s itinerary.

Erdogan has been a fierce critic of Israel’s conduct in the war sparked by Hamas’s Oct 7 attacks, dubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza”.

He also criticised the Western world for failure to pressure Israel to stop the war.

While Hamas is viewed by the US, the European Union, and Israel as a terrorist organisation, Erdogan has described it as “a liberation movement”.

In July, Erdogan chastised Abbas for not responding to his invitation to visit Turkey.

Abbas added a trip to Ankara after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.

He will address the Turkish parliament in a special session dedicated to the Palestinian issue on Thursday.

Abbas, who heads the Fatah Palestinian movement, a rival to Hamas, had already visited Turkey at Erdogan’s invitation in early March.