Turkey’s communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the block early Friday but did not provide a reason. Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killling of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Unlike its Western allies, Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organization. Turkey has a track record of censoring social media and websites.

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Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Fahrettin Altun, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdogan, Haniyeh Organizations: Communication Technologies Authority, Meta, Expression Association, YouTube Locations: Sabah, Turkey, Gaza