Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (L) with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah Hamas sources have revealed that members are at odds with the movement's stance towards Iran and Hezbollah, with some officials wanting to re-align themselves with the Shiite axis, and distance themselves away from Qatar. An insider said: "Some Hamas members want to see the movement strengthen ties with Iran once again, which would only happen after disengagement with Doha and the departure of Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mashal, because of his negative attitude towards Iran and Hezbollah."
The Syrian crisis has divided Hamas, with the movement's implicit support for the Syrian opposition harming relations with President Bashar al-Assad's allies Iran and Hezbollah. At Hamas' last meeting in Istanbul, Mashal and Mousa Abu Marzook, tried to unite the Islamic Resistance Movement, despite initial agreement to form two delegations to settle the dispute with Iran. One delegation was expected to meet Hezbollah leaders in Beirut, while the other would head to Tehran. However, senior Hamas leaders rejected the plan and the faction is now in limbo.
Hamas' crisis stems from a recent speech by World Federation of Muslim Scholars chief Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in Doha, in which the cleric described Hezbollah as "the party of devils" and referred to its leader Hassan Nasrallah as "the great tyrant." At the event, attended by Mashal, al-Qaradawi also accused Iran of forming an alliance with Israel.
Palestinian sources said Hamas leaders were not impressed with al-Qaradawi's comments, and senior officials Emad al-Alami and Mahmoud al-Zahar wrote to Mashal seeking clarification and urging him to distance himself from Qaradawi's speech. A similar letter was sent by leaders of al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, to Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.