Malaysia had asked Meta for an explanation after the posts expressing condolences over Haniyeh's death were removed.

"We apologise for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram Pages were removed, and the content has since been restored with the correct newsworthy label," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed response to questions.

Malaysia's communications minister and members of the Prime Minister's Office had met Meta representatives on Monday to seek an explanation.

"The Prime Minister's Office views Meta's actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression," the office said in a statement on Monday. 

Earlier on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan fiercely criticised social media companies, saying they sought to "muzzle the Palestinian people's voices", after Turkey blocked access to Instagram last week. 

Turkey was holding talks with Instagram on Monday after the move, which followed a top Turkish official's accusation that the social media site blocked condolence posts over the assassination of Haniyeh.

Turkey has denounced Israel's attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and criticised what it calls unconditional support for Israel by the West.

"We are facing a digital fascism that has no tolerance for even the photographs of Palestinian martyrs and bans them immediately," Erdogan said, citing the killing of Haniyeh.

"They are resorting to every means to hide Israel's cruelty and muzzle the Palestinian people's voices. Especially social media companies have literally become militants," he said in a speech in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Israel and its Western allies say Hamas is a terrorist organisation, a view rejected by predominantly Muslim Turkey, which is a NATO member.

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