Hamas delegation discusses Gaza, regional developments with Iran's top security official

A delegation from Palestinian group Hamas held talks with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in the Qatari capital Doha to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and the region.

A statement by the group said the meeting addressed the ongoing Israeli assault in Gaza and recent political developments in the region.

It stressed the group's commitment to implementing the terms of the Oct. 10 ceasefire agreement and preventing a return to war.

According to the statement, Hamas delegation said the group is "working by all means" to stop the Israeli assaults, lift the siege and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Discussions also addressed the Israeli escalation in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, following recent measures aimed at annexing lands in the occupied territory.

On Sunday, Israel's Security Cabinet approved measures aimed at expanding illegal settlement building and increasing Tel Aviv's control of the occupied West Bank.

According to Israeli media, the decisions include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel's civil administration.

Hamas also expressed solidarity with Iran and its rejection of any attack on its territory during the meeting, the statement said.

Larijani, for his part, said Iran continues to support the Palestinian cause, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

He expressed appreciation for "the resistance and steadfastness of the Palestinian people at this critical time," the outle said.

Israel has continued to commit hundreds of ceasefire violations since the deal was signed last October, killing nearly 600 people and injuring over 1,400 others.

The violations have continued despite the US' announcement in January that the second phase of the ceasefire agreement had begun. That phase includes additional Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and the launch of reconstruction efforts, which the UN estimates will cost about $70 billion.

The ceasefire ended an Israeli offensive that began Oct. 8, 2023, and lasted two years, killing nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000, while destroying about 90% of Gaza's infrastructure.