Hamas political chief Khaled Mashal praised Turkey and its leader Saturday, saying that a "strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem, a strong Palestine," and voiced hopes to "liberate Palestine and Jerusalem," state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

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Photo: AP

According to local media, Mashal's brief speech was interrupted by chants of "God is great" and "Down with Israel".

Mashal addressed a crowd at an event held by Turkey' ruling party, the AKP, and was even personally introduced by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Supporters in the hall waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, Turkey's Hurreiyet daily reported.

Mashal with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (Photo: Reuters)

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"Inshallah we will liberate Palestine and Jerusalem again in the future," Mashal said.

Mashal praised Turkey as a "source of power" for all Muslims in gratitude to Turkey's leaders for supporting the Palestinian cause.

"A democratic, stable and developed Turkey is a source of power for all Muslims," Mashal told the party's annual congress in the conservative central Anatolian city of Konya.

Hamas' Mashal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AP)

The Hamas chief often shows up at the ruling party's events. He also attended the AKP's congress in 2012 when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was serving as prime minister.

Current Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in his speech said Turkey's red flag featuring a crescent with a star was a "symbol of the innocent in the world."

"I greet all the brave people who claim Jerusalem ... Our flag is the symbol of all the oppressed in the world," he said.





Photo: Reuters

"God is witness ... this red flag will fly side by side with the flags of Palestine, free Syria and all other innocents' flags anywhere in the world," he told the congress.

Turkey's leaders, in particular Erdogan, are known for their angry outbursts at Israel. A staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan has often blasted the Jewish state over its military assaults on the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas.

AFP contributed to this report