“Malaysians stand in solidarity and together with Ismail and the Palestinians,” Bernama quoted Anwar as saying.
Anwar, who last month defended Malaysia’s relations with Hamas, called on the international community to hold the “Zionist regime accountable for its cruelty”.
Anwar had spoken to Ismail in October last year to express the country’s “unwavering support for the Palestinian people”.
Religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar said he was saddened by the latest attack by Israel which killed Ismail’s family members.
He also slammed Israel for its inhumane actions at a time when Muslims worldwide were celebrating Aidilfitri.
“Our condolences to Ismail Haniyeh. May he continue to remain strong to continue to fight for Palestine,” he was quoted as saying, and called on Malaysians to pray for the Palestinians.
Earlier today, it was reported that the vehicle carrying Ismail’s sons – Hazem, Amir and Muhammad – was attacked near the Al-Shati camp at Gaza City.
The trio were reportedly on their way to a family celebration to mark the first day of Aidilfitri.
Hamas later revealed that four of Ismail’s grandchildren – Mona, Amal, Khaled and Razan- were also among those killed in the strike.
Later, Anwar shared a video of his conversation with Ismail on his Facebook page.
In the video, Ismail expressed his gratitude for Malaysia’s support and solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
He described yesterday’s airstrike as a sign of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ill intentions to continue the genocide in Gaza.
“It’s a real sign of Netanyahu’s bad intentions and behaviour, (and that of the) Israeli criminal regime against our people. As we mentioned earlier, this is a massacre and madness against our people over (the past) six months.
“Once again, we hope to stop this aggression. We appreciate and thank you for your phone call that shows how much the Malaysian government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim supports and feels about our brothers in Palestine and Gaza,” Ismail said through a translator.