With Israel continuing its relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met Palestinian resistance group Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh and former chief Khaled Mashal in Qatar on Sunday.
The JUI-F chief is in Qatar where he is expected to reach out to the Arab world leadership to find a way to provide aid to Gaza which has been facing a dire humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing Israeli bombing of the strip following the October 7 attack by Hamas, sources told media.
“The two sides held detailed discussions over the Palestine issue”, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said while shedding light on the meeting between the veteran politician and Hamas leadership.
“[The JUI-F chief] conveyed condolences and expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine in wake of Israeli atrocities in Gaza,” the statement on Fazl’s X account read.
During the meeting, Haniyeh called for Muslims to unite in the face of Israeli aggression — which has killed nearly 10,000 Palestinians since October 7.
“It is the Muslim ummah’s responsibility to unite against Israeli atrocities,” Haniyeh said.
The JUI-F chief, while echoing Hamas leadership’s views, said that the developed nations have the blood of innocent children and women on their hands.
The sources said Fazl was the first religio-political leader from any Muslim country who has embarked upon the war zone.
The party said that “the movement of Maulana Fazl has been kept secret since he wanted to reach the devastated people quietly and offer them assistance”. He is carrying food and medicines with him, the sources said.
