The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is mourning the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a plane crash, claiming he had backed the Palestinian people in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Raisi, a hardliner long regarded as a prospective successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died in a helicopter accident in rocky terrain near the Azerbaijan border on Sunday, according to officials and state media.
The burnt wreckage of the chopper, which was carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, was discovered early Monday morning following an overnight search in a blizzard.
"These leaders supported the legitimate struggle of our people against the Zionist entity, provided valued support to the Palestinian resistance, and made tireless efforts in solidarity and support in all forums and fields for our people in the steadfast Gaza Strip during the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood," referring to the war with Israel which began on Oct 7.
"They also made significant political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people," said Hamas in a statement.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Jihad group, which is fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said Raisi and Amirabdollahian "played a prominent and clear role in supporting and assisting the struggle of the Palestinian people and its resistance in facing the ongoing criminal Zionist aggression."
"We are confident that the Islamic Republic of Iran can overcome this painful ordeal, as it has overcome all difficulties and challenges throughout its extended journey over the past decades," the group added.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials have regularly expressed gratitude to Iran for its military and financial backing in the group's decades-long conflict with Israel.
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