Former Hamas Chief Khaled Meshaal Virtually Attends 'Solidarity Rally' In Kerala’s Malappuram

A leader of the Hamas terrorist group, responsible for the October 7 attack in Israel, allegedly participated in a virtual rally organised by the Solidarity Youth Movement in Kerala's Malappuram.

The Solidarity Youth Movement, which organised the rally, is associated with the youth wing of the Islamic organization Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, in Malappuram.

A video showed the Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, addressing the participants at the event.

The virtual address by Meshaal at the rally was condemned by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K Surendran, who questioned the Kerala Police and called for action against Meshaal's participation.

Taking to X, Surendran said, "Hamas leader Khaled Mashel's virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where's Pinarayi Vijayan's Kerala Police ? Under the guise of 'Save Palestine,' they're glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as 'warriors.' This is unacceptable!"

For the unversed, Meshaal is a leader and former head of the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas. He became the recognised head of Hamas in 2004. Under his leadership, Hamas won a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legislative election in 2006. He stepped down as Hamas leader in 2012, and is now based in Qatar.

BJP state president K. Surendran also said, "Things have come to this point now in our secular Kerala. Hamas terrorist leaders are themselves participating in the events. It's only virtual because he didn't get a visa. The intention of the organisers is clear."

It must be noted that the the IUML, a prominent ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, organised a large-scale rally in the northern region of Kozhikode on Thursday (October 26) to condemn the reported indiscriminate civilian casualties resulting from the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

Shashi Tharoor, who was the chief guest at the rally, called the conflict as "one of the most distressing human rights catastrophes" witnessed in recent days.