Senior Hamas leaders from around the world gathered for a conference at an Istanbul hotel on Jan. 14 to rally support for their “resistance” and celebrate the terrorist attacks against Israel.
For the first time since the October 7 attacks, the International Conference to Support Gaza and the Resistance garnered a large crowd in Türkiye, which included Hamas leaders, sanctioned charitable organizations, and affiliated groups from various parts of the globe.
The conference, whose slogan is “Freedom for Palestine,” called Hamas’s recent attacks “a right and a duty.”
For the first time since the October 7 attacks, the International Conference to Support Gaza and the Resistance garnered a large crowd in Türkiye, which included Hamas leaders, sanctioned charitable organizations, and affiliated groups from various parts of the globe.
The conference, whose slogan is “Freedom for Palestine,” called Hamas’s recent attacks “a right and a duty.”
The International Conference to Support Gaza and the Resistance poster. Source: Meta.
The event was organized by the U.S.-sanctioned and Hamas-controlled charity al-Quds International Foundation, in coordination with the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a pan-Islamist group of religious and political figures.
Among the organizers was the Algeria-based El Baraka Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Work. In 2022, El Baraka financed a television series on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV. The plot of the series mirrored the October 7 attacks, including dramatic scenes of a commando-style ambush against Kissufim, a Kibbutz near the eastern border of Gaza where Hamas would later kill Israeli citizens and capture hostages.
Among the organizers was the Algeria-based El Baraka Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Work. In 2022, El Baraka financed a television series on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV. The plot of the series mirrored the October 7 attacks, including dramatic scenes of a commando-style ambush against Kissufim, a Kibbutz near the eastern border of Gaza where Hamas would later kill Israeli citizens and capture hostages.
Promotional material for the TV series “The Fist of Freemen,” which was sponsored by the El Baraka Association in Algeria and aired on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV in April 2022. El Baraka’s logo is featured on the promotional material of the program. Source: Meta.
Snapshots from the 2022 “The Fist of Freemen” of a militant attack on Israeli settlements nearly resembles the October 7 attacks. Source: Daily Motion.
Other organizers of the event included branches of the al-Quds International Foundation in Malaysia and South Africa. The Malaysian branch is led by Muslim Imran, a senior Hamas representative, Kharon previously reported.
Hamas Leaders and Supporters Praise Terrorist Attacks
Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah, who was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2018, virtually addressed the conference in a speech calling on supporters to “actively participate in the resistance and support it by all available means and methods."
El Baraka’s president, Ahmed Brahimi, who also spoke at the event praised Hamas’s al-Qassam brigades for “their willingness to sacrifice their lives” on October 7th. Brahimi also praised the Houthi militants in Yemen as “heroes who have turned the tide of the battle” and “changed the balance of power,” following their recent attacks against cargo ships and global shipping lines in the Red Sea.
In a video posted by the El Baraka charity on X, Brahimi called on attendees “not to withhold their support of the jihad,” noting that “relief work today has become a core part of the jihad."
Hamas Leaders and Supporters Praise Terrorist Attacks
Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah, who was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2018, virtually addressed the conference in a speech calling on supporters to “actively participate in the resistance and support it by all available means and methods."
El Baraka’s president, Ahmed Brahimi, who also spoke at the event praised Hamas’s al-Qassam brigades for “their willingness to sacrifice their lives” on October 7th. Brahimi also praised the Houthi militants in Yemen as “heroes who have turned the tide of the battle” and “changed the balance of power,” following their recent attacks against cargo ships and global shipping lines in the Red Sea.
In a video posted by the El Baraka charity on X, Brahimi called on attendees “not to withhold their support of the jihad,” noting that “relief work today has become a core part of the jihad."
Conference invitation. Source: X.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Hamid Abdullah al-Ahmar, a Yemeni businessman and key associate of Hamas’s global investment portfolio, praised the “heroic performance” of Hamas on October 7, calling the group a “valiant Palestinian resistance movement defending the Palestinian people.”
Al-Ahmar, who has been living in exile in Türkiye since 2014, has been linked to several businesses with ties to Hamas, including Trend GYO, a real estate investment firm that was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022.
Dr. Tariq Suwaidan, a prominent Kuwaiti Islamist cleric, also attended the event. Since the October 7th attacks, Suwaidan has sponsored a number of fundraising campaigns for Gaza affiliated with Hamas and sanctioned al-Qaida financing networks.
Suwaidan’s influence extends to popular social media platforms like X where he has a large following and has posted messages praising Hamas and its attacks against Israel both prior to and after the recent conflict.
Al-Ahmar, who has been living in exile in Türkiye since 2014, has been linked to several businesses with ties to Hamas, including Trend GYO, a real estate investment firm that was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022.
Dr. Tariq Suwaidan, a prominent Kuwaiti Islamist cleric, also attended the event. Since the October 7th attacks, Suwaidan has sponsored a number of fundraising campaigns for Gaza affiliated with Hamas and sanctioned al-Qaida financing networks.
Suwaidan’s influence extends to popular social media platforms like X where he has a large following and has posted messages praising Hamas and its attacks against Israel both prior to and after the recent conflict.
