Hamas urges Iran to halt attacks on Gulf, slams aggression on Tehran

The Palestinian group calls for an end to attacks on neighbouring Gulf states while supporting Iran’s right to defend against Israel and US aggression.

The Palestinian group Hamas has urged its ally Iran to end attacks on Gulf states, while affirming Tehran’s right to defend itself against Israel and the United States in the war they launched.

Hamas on Saturday called upon its “brothers in Iran” to not target neighbouring countries, and urged the region to end the ongoing conflict that has embroiled much of the Middle East.

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The group fought back against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza following its October 7, 2023 attack, while Israel razed the besieged and bombarded enclave to the ground, killing more than 72,000, with Gulf nations – particularly Qatar – stepping in through mediation, diplomacy and aid.

Since the start of the Iran war by the US and Israel on February 28, several Gulf states in the region have reported Iranian missile and drone attacks.

“While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries,” Hamas said in a statement.

It added that countries of the region should “cooperate to halt this aggression and preserve the bonds of fraternity among them”.

Iran has supported Hamas financially and militarily for decades, the group being a part of the now much-weakened so-called “axis of resistance” that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.

Last month, Gulf countries pledged more than $4bn in combined financial support to US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, as they signalled financial backing for efforts aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The pledges were announced during the first meeting of the Board of Peace, which has gone quiet in the wake of the war, in Washington, where Qatar and Saudi Arabia each committed $1bn. Kuwait also pledged $1bn over the coming years, while the United Arab Emirates announced an additional $1.2bn in support for Gaza through the board.

Qatar, throughout the genocidal war on Gaza, also played a leading role as mediator, alongside the US and Egypt.

A US-backed “ceasefire” agreement has been in place in Gaza since October 2025, which was meant to halt Israel’s two-year onslaught that killed more than 72,000 people and injured more than 171,000 since October 2023.

Despite the “ceasefire”, however, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing hundreds of Palestinians.