Hamas resumes links with Iran as Cairo contacts fade

A senior Hamas official in Gaza has confirmed that the government has no political contact with the coup regime in Cairo due to the latter’s belief that the Islamic Resistance Movement is a “terrorist organisation”. At the same time, said Mahmoud Al-Zahar, Hamas has “resumed” its links with Iran, which were severed due to different positions relating to the conflict in Syria. Contacts with the UN, EU and Qatar are ongoing as the government seeks to solve the electricity crisis in the territory.

According to Al-Zahar, although there are limited contacts with Cairo regarding the Rafah Crossing, fuel, construction materials and electricity, there are no meaningful links on a political level. “The current Egyptian regime classifies us as terrorists and it is telling the world that it is fighting terrorism,” he told journalists. The coup government blames Hamas for terrorist actions in Sinai, something that the movement denies absolutely.

“We have asked the Egyptians to supply us with the names of those linked to Hamas who are involved in the Sinai unrest,” he added, “but they haven’t done so because there is no Hamas connection at all.” He reiterated the movement’s policy to have no interest in interfering in any country’s internal affairs. “Anything said to the contrary is propaganda with no basis in truth.”

When asked about Palestinian elections, Al-Zahar said that Hamas does not fear taking part. However, it insists that they must be held under the terms of the reconciliation agreement signed by all of the Palestinian factions in Cairo in 2011.