Hamas Leader in Gaza: Iran is the Biggest Supporter of Al-Qassam Brigades

Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, announced on Monday, August 28, that relations with Iran have improved, stating: "Iran is the biggest military and financial supporter of the Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas)." According to Reuters, neither Iran nor Hamas disclose the extent of Tehran's assistance to the group, but diplomats believe that in recent years, despite a reduction in aid from Iran, this support has been directed more towards the military wing of Hamas rather than its political section. The report indicates that following Hamas's refusal to support Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian war, relations between the group and Iran cooled, provoking Iran's anger. However, Yahya Sinwar emphasized on Monday that relations between Hamas and Iran are currently developing and returning to what they were in the past. Sinwar was elected as the leader of Hamas in Gaza in February of this year and spoke with reporters during his first press conference in this position. The Hamas leader also stated that the group is always prepared for a potential battle with Israel, but strategically, Hamas is not interested in such a war at this time. Since seizing complete control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has fought Israel three times. About two months ago, Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, sent a message to Ismail Haniyeh, the new head of Hamas's political bureau, who succeeded Khaled Mashal, and Yahya Sinwar, stating: "We are committed to strengthening relations with our friends in Hamas, who are our allies in the resistance axis, in order to restore the Palestinian issue to its rightful place." The Israeli website "Walla" previously reported that the recent internal elections in Hamas, including the selection of Yahya Sinwar and Saleh al-Arouri to key positions, as individuals aligned with the Iran-supporting faction within the group, have contributed to the warming of relations between the two sides. Websites close to the Revolutionary Guard and supporters of conservatives in Iran have also deemed these changes favorable for Iran. For instance, the website "Farda" wrote: "We are witnessing a shift in the management spectrum of Hamas, from the political group outside Gaza to the political-military spectrum within Gaza, and experience has shown that this spectrum has a more resistant approach and is closer to Iran's policy." The renewed closeness of Hamas to Iran comes at a time when some Iranian officials and several commanders of the Revolutionary Guard had previously expressed dissatisfaction with Hamas's stance in recent years.