Hamas has said it “salutes” Jeremy Corbyn, in a statement thanking the Labour leader for his message of support for the Palestinian people at a mass rally.

In a statement read out during Saturday’s National Demonstration for Palestine in central London, Mr Corbyn reportedly said Labour was “united in condemning the ongoing human rights abuses by Israeli forces, including the shooting of hundreds of unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza.”

In response, Hamas said it had received Mr Corbyn’s message “with great respect and appreciation”, saying it “reflects an advanced moral and political position worthy of all praise and thanks”.

The group added: “In his message, Jeremy Corbyn condemned the Israeli occupation forces' shooting at unarmed Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza who were calling for their rights to be recognised.

"He stressed that peace cannot be achieved with the continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“This message expresses support and solidarity with the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights to freedom, independence and self-determination. It also condemns the ongoing occupation and its crimes against our people.

“We also salute Mr Jeremy Corbyn for his principled position in rejecting the so-called Trump Plan for the Middle East, or the ‘Deal of the Century’, if it was based on erasing Palestinian rights, primarily the right to an independent state.

“On this occasion we emphasise that no peace plan can succeed at the expense of the rights of the Palestinian people, that the Palestinians will not allow this deal to pass, and that it will be doomed to failure.”

Hamas, an Islamist group which is the de facto governing authority of Gaza, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British Government since 2001.

Its message to Mr Corbyn has sparked fury in the Jewish community. Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: “Any decent politician would run a mile from the endorsement of an antisemitic terror group which brutally suppresses the Palestinian people.”

She added: “The fact that Jeremy Corbyn chooses not to do so says all you need to know about the man and his warped and horrifying world view."

Yair Lapid, a senior opposition Israeli politician, said: "If Hamas is thanking you then you’re on the side of terrorism."

A Labour spokesperson said: "Jeremy has a long and principled record of solidarity with the Palestinian people. That is the right thing to do."