Hamas Official: Tehran has Cut Off Support

A senior Hamas official said on Monday that Iranian support for the Gaza-based group has been halted despite efforts to maintain the relationship. Moussa Abu Marzook, Hamas’s second in command, said, “The aid has stopped” but that Hamas doesn’t understand why financial assistance has dried up. The apparent turning point in relations between the Sunni Hamas and Shiite Islamic Republic came when Hamas sided with those calling for President Bashar Al-Assad’s overthrow at the start of the Syrian civil war. The situation was not helped when Hamas warmed its relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s regional nemesis. But the overtures by the political arm were not embraced by those responsible for Hamas’ fighters, who believe that Iran as a source of arms and equipment is more important than the other nations’ moral support. Marzook expressed regret at the Iranian abandonment of the people of the Gaza Strip.