The Palestinian Intelligence Chief said today that Iran was behind the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip- every step of the way.
Aljazeera reported:
Iran played a “big role” in Hamas’s seizure of Gaza, according to Tawfiq al-Tirawi, the Palestinian intelligence chief.
Speaking on Sunday, al-Tirawi said that Iran had provided training and weapons for Hamas, enabling them to effectively push Fatah into the West Bank earlier this month and take control of Gaza.
“According to our information, Iran has played a big role in what happened in Gaza,” al-Tirawi told a news conference.
“Dozens of members of Hamas have been trained in Iran, and Hamas smuggled in weapons through tunnels not to fight Israel but against the Palestinian Authority.”
He said that the “plan” had been “carried out in coordination with Iran, and Iran has been informed of every step”.
Ahmed Abul Gheit, Egypt’s foreign minister, last week accused Iran of having encouraged Hamas to seize the Gaza Strip, but al-Tirawi’s comments were the first time that a senior Palestinian official has blamed Iran.
Iran denied Abul Gheit’s accusations.
Jules Crittenden has more on the Islamic State of Gaza.
