Hamas's leader Khaled Meshaal said on Monday the Palestinian Islamist group still faced a battle to lift the Israeli blockade of Gaza despite separate cease-fires declared by his group and the Jewish state. Visiting Tehran, he praised Iran for providing financial and political backing in the fight against Israel, highlighting ties between Hamas and the Islamic Republic.
Hamas was in close contact with Iran, its main backer along with Syria, during the 22-day Israeli offensive in Gaza. Hamas has said it would intensify its post-war diplomatic efforts to lift the Israeli blockade on the coastal territory. It has kept a line open with Egypt, which is mediating a deal for a more solid truce that tries to meet Israel's demands for stopping arms flows into Gaza and Hamas's demands for ending the blockade.
"We invite you and we call on you to continue with the steps to support Gaza because the battle is not over," Meshaal said in a speech at Tehran University. "We still have a battle, the battle of lifting the siege of Gaza and opening the border crossings," he said in comments translated by Iran's English-language Press TV. His arrival in Tehran on Monday with a Hamas delegation was part of a regional push to reinforce support for the group after the Israeli invasion of Gaza.