In mid-October 2024, the Tel Aviv Tribune Center for Studies published the book “Iran and Hamas: From the Marj of Flowers to the Al-Aqsa Flood… What of the Untold Story,” written by the center’s first researcher, Iranian affairs expert, Dr. Fatima Al-Sammadi.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the relationship between Iran and Hamas since its beginnings, highlighting its basic milestones and crises, and the regional and international factors that influenced it, all the way to the impact of regional positions surrounding current events.
In her book, Dr. Fatima Al-Sammadi traces the course of the relationship between Hamas and Iran from a perspective that goes beyond the ideological dimension, taking the reader on a historical journey that reframes the relationship within a broader system of common interests and challenges. The researcher begins this historical framing by reviewing the various stages that Iranian policy towards Palestine went through, starting from the late Qajar era (1794-1925), through the first Pahlavi stage (1925-1941) and the second (1941-1979), until after the Islamic Revolution ( 1979).
The book devotes a chapter to examining the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and Iranian readings of this operation and its aftermath. It discusses the positions of the parties to the axis of resistance, the determinants that governed the performance of each party, and the impact of the entry of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) onto the front line. It also details the limits of Iranian participation by focusing on the principles of strategy. Iranian defense.
In her narration, the author relies on written references, reliable testimonies, and interviews she conducted over many years.
The book provides an in-depth look at the political and religious backgrounds that shaped the Iranian relationship with Hamas, reviewing the positions of both Ayatollah Kashani and Ayatollah Khomeini on the Palestinian issue before the Islamic Revolution. As for Kashani, who was known for his criticism of the Shah’s regime, he believed that the Zionist project constituted a threat not only to the Arab and Islamic world, but to all of humanity. As for Khomeini, his explicit opposition to the Shah was based on his rejection of Iran’s relationship with Israel, and he made hostility to the “Zionist regime” a symbol of the revolution, which led to turning the Palestinian issue into an axis of Iranian foreign policy.
The researcher explains that the relationship between Hamas and Iran was not just an ideological alliance; In addition, it achieved common interests for both parties. The book describes multiple visits by Hamas leaders to Iran, such as the visit of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1998, during which he expressed his thanks to the Iranian people and their support for the Palestinian cause. The author highlights how Iran saw this relationship as a means to assert its regional influence by supporting the Palestinian cause, specifically supporting resistance movements.
In the book, Fatima Al-Sammadi discusses the period after the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Iranian Republic, where Iran played a major role in strengthening its regional position, benefiting from its support for the Palestinian cause as one of the pillars of its foreign policies. In this context, the author presents crises that faced the relationship between Hamas and Iran, most notably those that occurred after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, when positions were divided and visions varied. The Hamas leadership chose to stay away from supporting the Syrian regime, which Tehran considered a “position outside the axis of resistance.” The researcher continues to narrate the details of the two parties’ interaction with that crisis and the attempts of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, to revive the relationship, as he effectively contributed to containing the dispute and reconnecting the interrupted strategic cooperation.
The crisis over Syria
In recounting the details of the crisis regarding Syria, the researcher reviews the role of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, led by Muhammad al-Deif, in maintaining communication between the Qassam Forces and the Quds Force despite the political tension between the leaders, which gave relations with Tehran a distinct dimension and hindered their complete collapse. The author shows how the common consensus between the two parties on the necessity of resisting the “Zionist occupation” was stronger than the differences on other regional issues.
The book also highlights the position of some Arab countries on Hamas’s relationship with Iran, indicating their reservations or even their rejection of it, as some view Hamas as “an implementer of Iranian policies in the region.” Al-Sammadi adds that this Arab impression created a kind of political isolation for Hamas in the Arab world, which prompted it to turn to Iran and support it to strengthen its position regionally, especially in light of the absence of sufficient Arab support for the Palestinian cause.
While former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of the most prominent supporters of Hamas with money and weapons, this relationship declined during the era of President Hassan Rouhani, who witnessed the cessation of Iranian financial support for Hamas from the presidential institution. The author comments on this by noting that Rouhani avoided meeting Hamas leaders throughout his eight years of rule, which reflected a cautious approach on the part of the Iranian administration towards supporting the movement during that period.
The book uses a complex analytical method that combines the historical and the political, and reviews the theories through which the relationship of the two parties can be explained. He seeks to adopt a “cost-benefit” model to explain the relationship between Hamas and Iran according to the concept of “rational choice,” which is based on building relations through each party maximizing its interests. The researcher takes this analysis as an entry point to explain the “delicate balance” that Hamas sought to maintain in its relationship with Iran, while clarifying its attempt to avoid dependence on the political decision, as Hamas sees this relationship as part of the national liberation strategy aimed at resisting the occupation.
In this context, the researcher devotes an entire chapter to talking about “intellectual and normative frameworks” and their importance in shaping the meanings of political discourse for both parties, emphasizing that Hamas does not completely follow the Iranian discourse, and that it remains preserving its basic positions without losing the independence of its decision, which is the case. Which I tried to clarify based on interviews and historical scenes that I collected over the years of field research.
At its conclusion, the book reviews a new phase in the relationship after 2020, as Hamas returned to strengthening its relations with Iran following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, and its subsequent repercussions on the axis of resistance, leading to the current political crises. The researcher considers this stage evidence that cooperation between the two parties will not be merely a temporary or superficial strategic relationship, but rather represents a long-term path that has been strengthened by the pressures of multiple regional powers.
The author has made an effort to document diverse viewpoints, both from within Iran and Hamas, using extensive field interviews and documented quotations from both sides, making the book a reference source on the history and nature of the relationship between Hamas and Iran. The book is a qualitative addition to the Arab library, which lacks sources that combine historical analysis and field testimonies for such a complex relationship.
To read and download the book (click here).