Breaking silence again, Hamas head Sinwar thanks Hezbollah chief for attacks on north

In second missive in days, terror leader tells Nasrallah group will keep fighting Israel until it is gone, praises Iran-backed ‘resistance axis’ as heart of Palestinian unity

Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Hamas head Yahya Sinwar thanked the leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon for its support in fighting against Israel, marking the second statement issued by the mastermind behind the October 7 attack following a long period of silence after being appointed leader of the Gazan group.

In the message to Hassan Nasrallah, published by Hezbollah’s media arm, Sinwar praises the Iran-led “axis of resistance” of armed groups in the Middle East which have repeatedly attacked Israel since October 7, calling it the “heart” of Palestinian efforts to destroy Israel.

The letter, dated Monday, came in response to a condolence message set by Nasrallah following the assassination of Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

The Gaza-based Sinwar, who is in hiding amid a massive Israeli manhunt for him, was appointed shortly afterward as Haniyeh’s successor, bringing both the terror group’s military wing and its politburo under his control.

Hamas did not immediately comment on the letter, and Hamas-affiliated media initially appeared to wait before reporting on the missive.

His letter to Nasrallah referred to attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies as “blessed acts” and called the war in Gaza, sparked by the massacre of some 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapping of over 250, “one of the most honorable battles for the Palestinian people.”

Sinwar vowed that Hamas will remain loyal to Haniyeh’s positions, indicating he will push ahead with the apparent tightening of ties between Hamas and Tehran under the former terror group head.

“[Hamas] and its fighters will continue to follow [Haniyeh’s positions], foremost of which is Palestinian unity on the choice of jihad and resistance, and the unity of the nation, with the axis of resistance at its heart,” he wrote.

The message vowed that Hamas would remain dedicated to its cause “until the occupation is defeated and swept away from our land, and the establishment of our independent, fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (back right) meets with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (back left) and a delegation from the terror group in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2023. (Twitter photo screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The message is the second public statement made by the terror chief in recent days, after Hamas on Tuesday published a statement in which he congratulated Algeria’s incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as the winner of a disputed election.

In that message, Sinwar similarly stressed Tebboune’s support for the Palestinians and said “the Palestinian people and their resistance” were fighting “heroically,” while lashing out at “the occupation” for its “barbarity.”

Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in the tunnels under the Gaza Strip, has issued few public statements since the October 7 terror onslaught in southern Israel.

Thought to be Israel’s top target as it seeks to dismantle Hamas, the terror chief has evaded capture, despite extensive efforts by both Israel and the US.

In August, the outgoing commander of the IDF’s 98th Division revealed to Channel 12 news that the military had been “minutes away” from capturing him, describing how troops had found his deserted compound while “the coffee was still hot.”

Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (center-left) and Yahya Sinwar (center-right) in Gaza City, June 26, 2019. (Hassan Jedi/Flash90)

Nasrallah, also thought to be a possible Israeli assassination target, has remained largely underground for over a decade, appearing almost exclusively via video feed since Israel and Hezbollah fought in 2006.

Despite rumors of a rift between the terror groups due to a lack of coordination around the October 7 attack, Hezbollah has supported Hamas by firing rockets and drones at northern Israel almost daily since October 8, diverting some of the military’s attention away from Gaza.

So far, skirmishes on the northern border have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists.

There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries. Hezbollah has named 438 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 78 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.

Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have also staged repeated attacks on Israel, as well as against US troops stationed in the region.

The war in Gaza broke out on October 7 following an unprecedented surprise attack by Hamas in which terrorists rampaged through southern Israel murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. The attack was widely believed to have been engineered by Sinwar, who was released from Israeli prison as part of a 2011 prisoner exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

In response to the attack, Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza with the proclaimed objective of dismantling Hamas and getting the hostages back.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 40,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 344.

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