Along with the growing number of visits of Arab and foreign delegations to the Gaza Strip to discuss the truce between Hamas and Israel to lift the siege, discussion about differences between Hamas political and military leaders is increasing; this was mentioned in the Israeli press April 16.

Talk about the divergent opinions between the political and military wings in Hamas has grown in light of the Palestinian developments: the reconciliation with Fatah, the repercussions of the recent war on Gaza, the continuation of a tense relationship with Egypt and the state of tug-of-war with Iran — and the latter’s impact on financial and military support for Hamas.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas has an integrated and a concerted system regarding its objectives and means. It manages its work according to democratic and shura-binding mechanisms in its leader-institutions, in and outside of Palestine, and between its political and military levels.”

Rishq, the closest to Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, added, “Harmony within the Hamas leadership does not mean that there aren’t different views on fast-moving events, at the Palestinian, regional and international levels. However, the different points of view consolidate after discussions within the Hamas leadership, and then everyone adopts the same opinion that binds the entire movement on both the political and military levels, at home and abroad.”