Iraqi FM denies latest rumors that Hamas leaders may relocate to Baghdad
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein denies that his government has made any decision regarding the opening of a Hamas headquarters in Baghdad, the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports, quoting an interview Hussein gave to an unnamed Iraqi TV channel.
Iraq is in continuous contact with the [Palestinian] factions, Iran and the United States to “keep the fire of war away from Iraq,” Hussein adds.
However, an unnamed member of the ruling coalition in the Iraqi parliament tells Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Baghdad would not object to hosting Hamas leaders if they requested it.
In late June, it was reported that Hamas leaders were planning to leave Qatar for Iraq, as the terror group was coming under increasing pressure from Doha and Washington to accept a ceasefire deal and release the hostages held in Gaza since October 7, and Ankara refused to host them. The move had apparently been approved by the Iraqi government, a report that Baghdad denied at the time.
In mid-July, the UAE-owned Sky News Arabia doubled down on the rumors, saying that not only Hamas, but also three other Palestinian factions – the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and its offshoot, the General Command – had opened offices in Baghdad, had been holding meetings with Iraqi factions loyal to Tehran, and were about to transfer their headquarters to the city.
Iran believes that if the Hamas leadership were to be based in Baghdad, it would be easier to maintain the terror group’s cohesion in the face of internal divisions, Sky News Arabia wrote then, quoting analysts.
