Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2012.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a key patron of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Iran provides Hamas with funds, weapons, and training.[1][2][3]

According to a 2020 U.S. State Department report, Iran provides about $100 million annually to Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas.[4] As of 2023, according to an Israeli security source, Iran had significantly increased its funding for Hamas to $350 million a year.[5]

History

1980s–1990s

Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran in 1998

Relations between Iran and Hamas strengthened after the PLO pursued peace efforts with Israel. In 1990, Iran hosted a conference in Tehran supporting Palestine, which was attended by Hamas but not by Yasser Arafat. During the early 1990s, a delegation from Hamas, headed by Mousa Abu Marzouk, engaged in discussions in Tehran with senior officials, among them Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran committed to both military and financial backing, with reportedly $30 million per year, in addition to providing military training to thousands of Hamas members at Revolutionary Guard bases in Iran and Lebanon. Furthermore, Hamas inaugurated an office in Tehran, stating that both Iran and Hamas shared an "identical view in the strategic outlook toward the Palestinian cause in its Islamic dimension."[6]

Second Intifada

Iran's support for Hamas continued through the violence of the Second Intifada. Following Arafat's passing in 2004 and Israel's exit from Gaza in 2005, Tehran's support progressively increased.[6]

Hamas seizure of the Gaza Strip

IRGC air force commander in front of the Hamas flag in 2020 (third flag from the right)

Iran and Hamas became dramatically closer following Hamas' unexpected win in the 2006 Palestinian elections and its violent seizure of the Gaza Strip in 2007. In 2006, Iran intervened to support the nearly insolvent Palestinian Authority in Gaza, which was now under Hamas control, as foreign aid collapsed. During a December 2006 visit to Tehran by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Iran committed to providing $250 million in assistance.[6]

2023 Israel–Hamas war

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) worked with Hamas to plan its 7 October 2023 surprise attack on southern Israel and gave the green light for Hamas to launch the assault on a meeting in Beirut on 2 October. In the Hamas-led attack, Palestinian militants killed 1,200 Israelis, primarily civilians, and took around 200 Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage.[7] In the weeks leading up to the attack, some 500 fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad received training in Iran, under the guidance of the IRGC Quds Force.[8]

According to The Washington Post, the attack occurred "with key support from [Iran] who provided military training and logistical help as well as tens of millions of dollars for weapons."[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "What Is Hamas?". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  2. ↑ "Israel-Hamas War: Iran's Role and Comments". The Iran Primer. 2023-10-10. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  3. ↑ Srivastava, Mehul; Zilber, Neri; Jalabi, Raya (2023-10-09). "What links Hamas to the 'Axis of Resistance' and its patron Iran?". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  4. 1 2 "Hamas received weapons and training from Iran, officials say". The Washington Post. October 9, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ Nakhoul, Samia (2023-10-16). "How Hamas secretly built a 'mini-army' to fight Israel". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  6. 1 2 3 "Iran and the Palestinians". The Iran Primer. 2010-10-13. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  7. ↑ Kalin, Summer Said, Benoit Faucon and Stephen. "WSJ News Exclusive | Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2023-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ London, Summer Said in Dubai, Dov Lieber in Tel Aviv and Benoit Faucon in (2023-10-25). "WSJ News Exclusive | Hamas Fighters Trained in Iran Before Oct. 7 Attacks". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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