Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has responded to Kiwi sporting great Sonny Bill Williams' controversial decision to share a social media post calling Hamas militants 'freedom fighters' rather than terrorists.
On the weekend Hamas militants fired at least 3500 rockets into Israel, before armed fighters entered towns during a major Jewish holiday, killing at least 700 Israelis and abducting dozens more.
Israel responded with air strikes on the Gaza Strip that Palestinian officials say killed nearly 300 people in 24 hours.
Williams, a cross-code star and devout Muslim who now works as a broadcaster for Australia's Stan Sports, shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) from American law professor, author and controversial columnist Khaled Beydoun that read: "So, Ukrainian civilians defending their families are 'freedom fighters'... But Palestinians in Gaza doing the EXACT same thing are 'terrorists'?"
Williams reposted the comment with the '100' emoji as a sign of approval, alongside a palms-up emoji.
The post has since garnered over 13,000 likes, but also outrage, with many calling for it to be deleted.
Hipkins joined AM on Tuesday to discuss the attacks and was asked what he thought about Williams' tweet.
"I am not going to comment on every individual tweet or action of every New Zealander," Hipkins said. "That [post] does not reflect New Zealand's position. This is an unjustified act of aggression and we absolutely condemn it," he added.
Hipkins was also forced to defend his Foreign Affairs Minister's response to the conflict.
Nanaia Mahuta has come under fire for her initial response which some have called too weak. But Hipkins told AM both he and Mahuta strongly condemn the attack.
Hipkins says Mahuta has already admitted she could have used stronger language in her initial response – which she did in a follow-up tweet.
"I set out a very strong position reflecting New Zealand's stance, our condemnation of the attack and our support for Israel and their right to defend themselves," he said.
