In a statement released on its Telegram channels, Hamas denied the remarks of Ramazan Sharif, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), regarding the “Al-Aqsa Storm,” the name Hamas uses to refer to the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Ramazan Sharif, the spokesperson for the IRGC, stated in a press conference in Tehran on December 27 that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 was “one of the retaliations of the resistance axis for the killing of Qasem Soleimani,” in which Israeli forces “lost over 200 commanders and suffered more than 1,500 casualties.” Qassem Soleiman was the notorious commander of the IRGC Quds Force, who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad, Iraq, in September 2020. Soleimani was killed along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the commander of the Iran-backed Hashd al-Shabi terrorist militia group in Iraq.
Hamas, in its statement, “denied the credibility of Ramadan Sharif’s remarks” and wrote:
“We have repeatedly reiterated the motives and reasons behind the Al-Aqsa Storm, which primarily involves the threats to Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
“We also affirm that all acts of Palestinian resistance in response to the Zionist occupation and continued hostilities against our people and sacred sites are justified.”
Hossein Salami, the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, walked back Sharif’s statements and said, “We have not yet taken revenge for the killing of Qasem Soleimani.”
Salami stated that contrary to the spokesperson’s remarks, the Islamic Republic has not yet avenged the killings of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, adding that “we will do it in due time.” He further added that the revenge for Soleimani’s killing “will be carried out in its own specific domain.”
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Iran’s regime has been trying to play a dual game where it tries to claim credit for attacks against Israel and U.S. allies while at the same time rejecting any responsibility. The regime is afraid of the implications of a widespread war that might it in direct confrontation with other nations, especially as it is trying with little success to contain the pent-up anger of the Iranian people, which manifests itself in daily protests.
