HAMAS CALLS ON HEZBOLLAH TO UNITE FOR A FIGHT AGAINST ISRAELIS

Gaza, 3 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/24 January 2015 (MINA) – A letter purported to be from Mohammad Daif, the leader of Hamas’s armed wing, on Thursday appealed to the Lebanese Hezbollah group to unite with Hamas in battling the Israeli regime.

The letter, posted on the website of Hezbollah-run Al Manar TV, suggests the Palestinian Hamas and Hezbollah were patching up a rift over the Syrian war.

Hamas has been hostile toward Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, while Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been fighting against the rebels trying to topple him, Gulfnews quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“The true enemy of the nation is the Zionist enemy and all rifles must be directed against it,” said the letter, which carried Daif’s signature. “All forces of resistance must direct their coming battle as one.” Daif was targeted in an Israeli bombing in last summer’s Gaza war.

The letter offered Hamas’s condolences to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah over the killing of six of its fighters in an Israeli air strike on Sunday in Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Israelis say Daif was behind the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings and have tried to assassinate him several times, including one attempt in August during the 50-day Gaza war. The shadowy leader, whose health condition is unknown, has been in hiding for years.

Hamas, in political and financial isolation, has been anxious to revitalise old alliances and restore its battered funding. In December, it said it had restored its ties with Iran, which had been angered by Hamas’ stance against Al Assad.

Tehran has long been a major supplier of military and financial aid to the group.(T/P009/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)