Deputy head of Palestinian group says Hamas working to strengthen ties with Islamic Republic, "for the benefit of the Palestinian issue."
By YASSER OKBINiña palestina celebra el aniversario número 27 de Hamás(Credito: REUTERS)(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Hamas official on Monday said that aid from Iran to the Palestinian Islamic organization has ceased in large.In an interview with the Arabic news network Al Jazeera, Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau said financial backing, including military funding, has become stagnant.He added that aid from Iran was critical in helping to organize "resistance operations," indicating actions against Israel."Assistance was halted and remains suspended," Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera without stating specifically when the cut occurred . "The lack of military aid and aid for residents in the Gaza Strip is difficult to handle."In the interview, the Palestinian faction's official stated that Hamas was working to strengthen relations with the Islamic Republic, "for the benefit of the Palestinian issue."Abu Marzouk made the remarks, noting the strain in relations between Tehran and Hamas, stemming from a difference of loyalties in Syria's civil war, with the former - alongside its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah - supporting the regime of President Bashar Assad and the latter siding with rebels fighting to topple the government in Damascus.Over the weekend, US President Barack Obama admitted in a special interview with the BBC that the lifting of sanctions on Iran under the terms of a recently-reached nuclear deal will increase the Islamic Republic's ability to finance terrorist organizations."Hezbollah for example, threatening to fire missiles at Israel, has no shortage of resources," Obama told BBC's North American editor Jon Sopel. "We have seen that even in times of distress, Iran is able to allocate resources in what it sees as its strategic priority."During the interview, Obama made sure to stress that the possibility of military action remains on the table.Under a bill reluctantly signed into law by Obama in May, Congress has until Sept. 17 to decide whether to approve or reject the agreement between Iran and world powers to rein in Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
