A senior Hamas delegation met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in the Qatari capital, Doha and discussed Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip and related developments.
A statement issued by Hamas yesterday said the delegation was headed by Muhammad Darwish, chairman of Hamas’s Shura Council, and other senior leaders including Khaled Meshal, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hussam Badran, and Muhammad Nasr.
Meanwhile the Iranian delegation included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Republic’s Ambassador to Doha, Ali Saleh Abadi.
According to the statement, the two sides discussed the overall political and field developments related to the Palestinian issue, especially the Israeli ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, which has expanded into Lebanon.
The Hamas delegation emphasised the strategic relationship with the Islamic Republic and the resistance axis, praising the support provided to the Palestinian people in their ongoing struggle against the “Zionist enemy”, especially in retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, in Tehran.
The delegation has also expressed its heartfelt condolences regarding the assassination of Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and several party leaders by Israel.
For his part, President Pezeshkian said the martyrdom of Haniyeh was one of the most painful events of his life.
“Martyr Haniyeh was a guest participating in my swearing-in ceremony, but hours later, I heard the news of his treacherous assassination, which was very painful for me,” he said.
He stressed that the crimes committed by the “Zionist entity today in Gaza and Lebanon pierce the heart of every human being,” explaining that “this pain is even greater for those of us who consider the oppressed Palestinian people as our brothers in faith.”
Pezeshkian strongly criticised the shameful behaviour of the US and Western countries in supporting Israel under the guise of democracy and the pretence of defending human rights.
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