The Hamas terrorist organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, and the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan this week are bolstering ties. The development has sparked significant concern in Israel and moderate Sunni Arab countries in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, in light of the potential threat such an alliance could pose.
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Hamas officials confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the terrorist organization's political bureau, spoke on the phone on Monday with his Taliban counterpart, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and congratulated him for the "defeat of the American occupation in the country."
Haniyeh said the end of the US presence in Afghanistan "is a prelude to the demise of all occupation forces, foremost of which is the Israeli occupation of Palestine," according to Hamas' website.
Baradar, for his part, expressed his gratitude for Haniyeh's call, wishing Palestine "victory and empowerment as a result of their resistance."
As a consequence of the Taliban's ascent to power, the training bases and facilities, which up until this week belonged to the Afghani army, could now be made available to Hamas terrorists. Israeli officials were also concerned that the Taliban will look to smuggle weapons and ammunition into the Gaza Strip from Afghanistan.
Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas reported on Tuesday that top Hamas officials met with Taliban leaders several weeks ago to congratulate the radicals who were then rolling through Afghanistan.
Haniyeh and his deputy Saleh al-Arouri reportedly met with Baradar and other senior Taliban officials in the Qatari capital of Doha.
In the meeting, Baradar reportedly praised Hamas and its leaders "for their steadfast opposition to the Zionist enemy and the long-awaited victory."
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told Israel Hayom on Tuesday that the rocket fired at Israel on Monday was launched by a Palestinians Islamic Jihad cell acting independently.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited IDF forces on the Gaza border on Tuesday and warned that Israel would not sit idly by as Hamas continues to target the Jewish state.
On August 10, Haniyeh said his terrorist organization maintains "a strategic relationship" with Iran, Hezbollah and "many [others] in the region," and therefore, any "foolish act" by Israel could lead to a regional war, the Middle East Media Research Institute quoted him as saying in an interview with Iran's Al-Alam TV.
"It is no secret that Iran played a very important role" in building the force seen during the 11-day conflict with Israel in May, said Haniyeh.
He also noted that "Jerusalem will not remain hostage to Zionist practices, policies and projects, and the Palestinians will not be left alone to defend Jerusalem."
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"We no longer hesitate to say that any foolish act carried out by the occupation against the Al-Aqsa mosque or Jerusalem, or an act that crosses the line concerning the Al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem, might lead to regional war…," he said.
As he explained, "When the Americans leave the region, when the Israelis can no longer win their military battles, when the path of normalization fails and when the resistance wins battles inside or outside Palestine, that means that a strategic environment could be formed around the Palestinian cause that is better than before."
JNS.org contributed to this report.
