A Turkish lawmaker who declared that Israel “will suffer the wrath of Allah” went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the floor of Parliament Tuesday — mere moments after delivering his harsh critique of his country’s response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Startling footage shows Hasan Bitmez, 53, standing behind the podium before suddenly falling to the ground while addressing the Grand Assembly of the Turkish National Assembly.
“You will not escape the wrath of Allah,” Bitmez said moments before he collapsed and seemingly hit his head on the marble floor of the General Assembly Hall, sending droves of concerned onlookers running to his side.
Bitmez’s heart reportedly stopped in the Parliament but was later restarted, YNet News reported.
Bitmez, who serves as deputy head of Turkey’s Felicity Party, is also diabetic. He received two stents in arteries in his heart after an angiography at a local hospital, YNet reported, citing BBC in Turkish.
He is believed to be in critical condition.
Before his collapse, Bitmez fired off against the Turkish government for having “endless love for Israel,” and said the government “contributed to every bomb dropped by Israel.”
He also accused Israel of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, according to the outlet.
Lawmakers from the Justice and Development Party, which is led by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, punched back, blaming Bitmez’s condition on “God’s wrath,” according to minutes from the session.
While Turkey condemned Israeli citizen deaths caused by Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 incursion, days after the horrifying attack Erdogan referred to Hamas as “freedom fighters.”
Erdogan has also criticized the West for its strong support of Israel and has accused the nation of committing “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a cease-fire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan said on Oct. 28.
This past weekend, Erdogan denounced the United Nations Security Council, dubbing it the “Israel Protection and Defense Council” after the US vetoed an immediate cease-fire resolution.
The vote on the resolution was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining. The US is one of five permanent members with veto power, and used its ‘no’ vote to slash the measure.
