Turkish lawmaker who collapsed after saying Israel 'will suffer wrath of Allah' dies
Hasan Bitmez collapsed as he criticized Turkey's continued trade with Israel on Tuesday.
Turkish MP Hasan Bitmez suffers heart attack whilst discussing Israel
The Turkish lawmaker who had a heart attack while criticizing Israel at the podium earlier this week has died.
Hasan Bitmez, 54, is survived by a wife and a child.
On Tuesday, he was in the middle of delivering an impassioned rant against Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he collapsed and fell.
He was criticizing Turkey's continued trade with Israel as the country continues to pummel Gaza with indiscriminate bombing.
"We can perhaps hide from our conscience but not from history," he said, adding that "Israel will suffer the wrath of Allah."
READ MORE: Urgent demand for immediate ceasefire in Gaza issued by United Nations
Bitmez, who represents the Islamist Saadet Party in the 99 percent Muslim nation, held up a sign reading: "Murderer Israel; collaborator AKP," an abbreviation for Erdogan's AK Party.
"You have the blood of Palestinians on your hands, you are collaborators. You contribute to every bomb Israel drops on Gaza," he told lawmakers, adding that Israel “will suffer the wrath of Allah.”
He collapsed backwards on the floor. Turhan Çömez, a lawmaker from an opposing party and a trained doctor, was the first to rush to his aid.
Bitmez was rescusitated in parliament and was then taken to a hospital in Ankara, where he was placed in an intensive care unit.
The Turkish Minister of Health confirmed Bitmez's death on Thursday, according to the Turkish news outlet Gazete Duvar.
The chairman of Bitmez's party praised his "sincerity, effort and sacrifice" in a statement after his death.
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