The leader of the Hamas terrorist organisation Ismail Haniyeh has congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election as president. This is stated in a statement on the movement's Telegram channel.
In his congratulations, Haniyeh noted that Hamas looks forward to "strengthening the bonds of friendship and developing cooperation" with Russia, and "praised" Russia's position in "supporting the Palestinian issue."
Haniyeh also wished Putin "successful work for the benefit of the people of Russia" and "success in building a multipolar world."
Earlier, after Hamas' attack on Israel, Putin said that Russia is on the side of Palestine in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Hamas thanked Putin for his position. According to a spokesman for the terrorist organisation, Hamas released several Russian hostages outside the ceasefire agreement as a sign of gratitude to the Russian president.
On 7 October, Hamas unleashed the largest war against Israel in decades, launching massacres and mass kidnappings in the Jewish state, killing thousands of people.
Background. As a reminder, the German government will no longer refer to the Russian dictator as president. The country's Foreign Ministry does not recognise these elections as legitimate.