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A Turkish member of parliament collapsed after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday, at the end of a livestreamed parliamentary speech in which he said Israel wouldn’t be able to “escape the wrath of Allah.” The incident was reported in the Times of Israel.
Hasan Bitmez, 53, of the conservative Felicity Party, was delivering an address at the General Assembly of the Turkish parliament. “We can perhaps hide from our conscience but not from history,” he said at the end of his remarks. Then, in reference to Israel, he added: “You will not escape the wrath of Allah.”
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He then said, “I salute you all,” and then immediately collapsed at the podium, with his head hitting the floor. Fellow members of the assembly rushed to his side.
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Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Bitmez was hospitalized and his condition was “extremely critical and serious.”
The remarks came a week after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his belief that Hamas is not a terror group and said it must have a part in rebuilding Gaza after the war.
Erdogan also warned Israel last week that it would “pay a very heavy price” if it attempted to eliminate Hamas members in Turkey. This was after recordings were revealed of the head of the Shin Bet security agency saying Jerusalem is determined to kill group leaders “in every location” around the world, including “in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar.”
In the Oct. 7 onslaught, 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst through the border into Israel and massacred 1,200 people, most of them civilians slaughtered in their homes and at a music festival. The fighters also seized 240 hostages, almost 140 of whom are still held captive in Gaza.
Early in November, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations over the war in Gaza, although it said that it was not breaking off diplomatic ties entirely. The two countries only restored full diplomatic ties in August 2022 after years of deteriorating relations.
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