Dr. Mahathir expresses sadness and anger over Ismail Haniyeh’s death

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has expressed deep sadness and anger over the killing of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh.

According to Malaysia Gazette, he stated that Haniyeh’s death serves as a reminder of the despicable nature of Israel, and that all supporters of the Zionist regime are hypocrites and true terrorists.

Dr. Mahathir emphasized that Israel’s extrajudicial killing of Palestinian freedom fighters highlights the arrogance, cruelty, and depravity of the Zionist regime.

“I feel very proud and fortunate to have known Ismail Haniyeh all these years. His tireless struggle for Palestinian freedom is something that freedom fighters should emulate,” he said in a condolence message posted on his Facebook page today.

He criticized Western media and some leaders for continuously labeling Hamas and Haniyeh as terrorists while ignoring the oppression inflicted by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and illegal Jewish settlers on the Palestinian people.

Dr. Mahathir condemned the Western hypocrisy and their allies’ repugnant stance.

“I am very angry that the Western world, which could have made a difference, chooses to remain silent and even sides with Israel in its acts of violence and genocide against the Palestinian people,” he said.

However, Dr. Mahathir remains confident that despite Israel’s killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader’s struggle will not die, and the Palestinian people will ensure that his death is not in vain.

He added that while the Zionist regime may have killed Ismail Haniyeh, they cannot kill his ideas and the cause he fought for.

“To Ismail Haniyeh’s family, please accept my deepest condolences for the loss of an extraordinary man. To Hamas and the Palestinian people, you have lost a great leader, a courageous individual steadfast in his beliefs.

“May Allah grant him forgiveness, paradise, and place him among the righteous.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” he concluded.