Between the American hammer and the Iranian embrace: Hamas’s decisive battle
Two days after congratulating Khalil al-Hayya on his election as Hamas leader, Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran would back any decision made by Palestinian leaders. This comes against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s plan to disarm the terrorist organization.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian clarified today, Wednesday, that Tehran will continue to support Hamas and the decisions that Palestinian leaders will make as part of the indirect negotiations with Israel. These remarks were made as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump advances a plan intended to disarm Hamas and remove it from centers of power in the Gaza Strip.
According to a report in Iran’s state media, Pezeshkian stated today that Tehran will support any initiative or decision that Palestinian leaders make within the framework of indirect contacts between Hamas and Israel.
Earlier this week, the Iranian president spoke with Khalil al-Hayya, who was chosen to head Hamas’s political bureau. According to a statement published by the organization in Arabic, Pezeshkian congratulated al-Hayya on his election and pledged that Iran would continue to support the Palestinian cause.
“We are with you and support every step you take, despite the attacks we are facing,” Pezeshkian said, as reported by Hamas. Fox News reported that a request was made to Iran’s delegation at the UN to confirm that the call took place and to obtain an official report on its contents.
The call highlights the gap between Iran’s position and the American plan for the future of the Gaza Strip. While the White House presents the move as a historic agreement meant to remove Hamas from power and bring about its disarmament, Tehran — the organization’s long-standing military and economic backer — continues to provide it with political backing.
Iranian support raises questions regarding Hamas’s willingness to give up the weapons stockpile on which its power rests, as well as regarding the ability of the international body that is supposed to oversee the agreement to enforce the disarmament of the organization.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in recent days what he defined as a “historic agreement to disarm Hamas.” The issue of Hamas’s weapons is considered one of the central obstacles on the way to rebuilding the Strip. The agreement is expected to examine whether the “Peace Council” that Trump established will succeed in managing the transition to new rule in Gaza, or whether Hamas will use the process to survive, reorganize, and preserve its influence.
As a reminder, the significance of the new moves in Gaza affected Israel directly. At the beginning of the week, the IDF fully stopped targeted killings in the Gaza Strip. Between last Thursday and Monday of this week, the IDF carried out 22 strikes and targeted killings in which at least 26 Gazans were killed, while in Gaza it was reported that among the dead were also four children. The IDF published the identities of some of the terrorists who were eliminated and intends to publish the identities of additional terrorists in the coming days, while awaiting confirmation of their final identities from the Gaza side.
Following the increase in the number of killings and against the backdrop of progress in understandings that Hamas, Israel, and the United States will advance to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas’s commitment to hand over its lethal weapons to the United States, Washington complained about the killings yesterday and demanded two things from Israel: first, explanations for the wave of killings; and second, to stop the killings immediately.
