Iran has recently withheld financial support to Islamic organizations in Gaza following their refusal to come out against Iran’s Sunni enemies in the Middle East, chief among them Saudi Arabia.
Al Sabireen, Iran’s current beneficiary in the Gaza Strip, is only a few hundred activists strong, but it is becoming increasingly attractive to members of Islamic Jihad and other groups that have been estranged by their primary backer.
Fearing Iranian backlash, Hamas authorities are reluctant to crack down on the organization. However, Salafi elements have already staged stabbing and bombing attacks against Al Sabireen members, who are accused of trying to impose Shia Islam on the population.
Hamas Meets With Iranian Officials
Hamas leaders have met Iranian officials in a continuing bid to upgrade the Islamic Republic’s financial support for Gaza’s Islamist rulers, a top source in the movement told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Earlier this month, Breitbart Jerusalem reported that Hamas turned down Iran’s offer to be recognized as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in exchange for a clear condemnation of Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s offer came in the wake of the alignment of the Palestinian Authority with Riyadh and its allies in the Arab world, who have clashed with Tehran and its proxies on several fronts.
Iran apparently would not take Hamas’s no for an answer and urged the Tehran-backed Hizbullah to further lobby the movement. Hizbullah passed an invitation for deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk to visit Beirut to meet with top Hizbullah and Iranian officials on the matter of reconciliation.
The Hamas source said that the meetings, made possible thanks to fervent mediation efforts on Hizbullah’s part, were meant to discuss bilateral relations, irrespective of Hamas’s position on Sunni regimes fighting against Iran.
Asked about the information, Hamas spokesperson Mushir al-Masri told Breitbart Jerusalem that the movement seeks to maintain good relations with all the parties involved.