The recent and unprecedented alignment of the United States with Israel, as conveyed in President Biden’s speech, is causing deep concern for Hamas. The fear is that this alignment has effectively painted Hamas as an organization akin to the murderous ISIS.
Hamas leaders are troubled by the prospect of Israel launching a comprehensive military campaign to occupy the Gaza Strip, extinguish their rule, and forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to Egypt, effectively displacing them from their homes near the Israeli border.
Hamas officials allege that Israel, with support from the United States, is planning to transfer approximately half a million Palestinians to tent camps within Egyptian territory, along the Gaza Strip border.
They contend that Egypt vehemently opposes this idea.
According to these officials, the United States is exerting considerable pressure on Egypt to acquiesce to this plan.
Over recent days, there have been intense consultations involving the leadership of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Hamas leaders have conveyed that, at this stage, they are handling Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip independently.
However, should Israel expand its efforts to forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to Egypt and launch an extensive ground operation to occupy the Strip, they would require active military assistance from the Hezbollah organization to maintain their rule.
Hamas leaders are concerned that the United States and several Western countries have fully embraced the Israeli narrative, portraying Hamas as an organization similar to ISIS.
They worry that this international support for Israel may embolden it to invade and occupy the Gaza Strip.
In response to these concerns, Hamas is actively seeking support from the Arab world to dissuade the United States and Israel.
The Hamas leadership has called on the masses to participate in large-scale marches in Arab countries towards their borders with Israel this coming Friday.
Hamas is essentially issuing a warning to countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, as the stability of their rule could be in jeopardy if they do not take measures to restrain Israeli military actions against the Gaza Strip.
Recent successful Israeli assassinations of two members of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip have prompted the Hamas leadership to instruct senior officials within the civilian government to seek refuge in underground bunkers.
The “Axis of Resistance,” led by Iran, is on high alert following the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The Iranian leadership is concerned about losing its foothold in the Gaza Strip.
While it is prepared to provide support to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in terms of weaponry and finances, it does not intend to initiate direct attacks on Israeli targets through the Iranian army or Revolutionary Guards.
Instead, Iran will activate its proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen to target Israel without direct Iranian involvement.
A senior security official in Israel has also asserted that Iran plays a pivotal role in the current escalation, including Hamas’s infiltration of Israeli settlements along the Gaza Strip border, and is determined to continue supporting Hamas in its struggle against Israel.
