“Iran is our partner, our friend and our supporter. They were never reluctant in providing any help to the Palestinian people. We don’t need instigations, we’re not anyone’s proxy. Israel’s barbaric crimes make it a source of instability not only in Palestine, but across the region. They attack Syria, Iraq and — as we saw recently — Iranian nuclear facilities. They assassinate nuclear scientists. So yes, we’re confronting a common enemy, but that doesn’t mean we should be blamed. We are victims and it’s Israel that’s been committing all these atrocities.”Ali Hashem, “Hamas representative in Iran: latest round of fighting is strategic shift for group,” Al-Monitor, May 17, 2021, https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/05/hamas-representative-iran-latest-round-fighting-strategic-shift-group.