DEPUTY Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has expressed deep sorrow over the death of prominent Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died in a recent attack in Iran.

In a Facebook post, Zahid described the profound sadness he felt upon receiving the news.

“There are no words to describe the sadness in my heart today upon hearing the news of the passing of a friend, leader, and warrior, Ismail Hamiyeh, the Hamas chief, and his bodyguard who were martyred in the attack.”

Zahid reminisced about his frequent meetings with Hamiyeh during his visits, during which they shared stories of the struggles and triumphs in the fight for Palestinian freedom.

“He was a figure who provided much advice and encouragement for me to continue assisting and contributing, whether in times of defeat or victory.

“A great loss for the Islamic world; however, his fighting spirit will not fade, and this loss will surely ignite the fervour of the next generation’s struggle to achieve justice and freedom for the Palestinian people,” he said echoing Umno’s shock over Ismail sudden demise.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is a despicable murder that is aimed at stalling ongoing truce talks in the Gaza conflict that has been ongoing since last year.

Anwar strongly condemned the murder of Ismail, who is also the Hamas political bureau chairman.

“This was a murder of the most heinous kind, plainly designed to derail ongoing talks aimed at ending the carnage in Gaza that has claimed over 40,000 lives.

“It is patently clear that this could only have been carried out in an environment of utter impunity,” said Anwar in a Facebook posting on Wednesday (July 31).