Mahathir said that during their meeting, Ismail thanked him for bringing up fresh ideas related to the Islamic world at the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) last December.

He said Ismail also expressed appreciation for his continuous support for the Palestinians.

“According to the Hamas leader, Malaysia has a very special position in the Islamic world,” Mahathir said in a posting with attached pictures on his Twitter handle @chedetoffical.

He said they discussed several matters related to recent developments and “all the misfortunes that have befallen the Palestinians”.

Ismail arrived in Malaysia yesterday after visiting Iran, Oman, Turkey and Qatar over the past several weeks.

A statement issued later by the Palestinian Culture Organisation Malaysia said Mahathir and Ismail reviewed the Palestinian situation, especially the latest Israeli violations against Jerusalem and the open-ended Israeli aggression on Gaza.