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Hamas holds memorial tribute for Soleimani in Gaza

Hamas still depends on Iran for support.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech during a ceremony in the capital, Tehran, on Jan. 3, 2022.

On the second anniversary of the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed Jan. 3, 2020, near Baghdad International Airport by a US drone, Hamas participated in a commemoration ceremony that the Palestinian Committee held on International Quds Day in Gaza City. Speaking on behalf of Hamas, head of its politburo Ismail Haniyeh had called Soleimani the “martyr of Jerusalem” during the movement’s participation in his funeral procession in Tehran Jan. 6, 2020.

On Jan. 3, Hamas politburo member Mahmoud al-Zahar said in his speech on behalf of the Palestinian factions during Soleimani’s commemoration ceremony, “Qasem Soleimani did not differentiate between the separate Islamic sects. He was the first to fund the resistance government formed after the 2006 elections to pay the salaries of its employees, aid poor families and back the resistance programs.”

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