Hamas leaders head to Damascus amid rapprochement
A large Palestinian delegation, including Hamas leaders, is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in late October, seeking to mend ties after a decade-long rupture.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian Hamas movement is expected to visit Damascus soon, after announcing the resumption of ties with the Syrian government following a decade-long hiatus.
The Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, which is close to the Syrian government, reported Oct. 10 that a delegation that includes members of the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, will head to the Syrian capital in the coming days.
According to information obtained by Al-Watan, the visit aims at fully restoring ties with the Syrian government. The paper also noted that the Hamas delegation will be made up of representatives of the movement’s resistance wing, not the Muslim Brotherhood wing.
Hamas — which had defined itself as one of the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood before announcing its dissociation from the group in 2017 — had left its offices in Damascus in 2012, after siding with the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad. At the time, Hamas was headed by Khaled Meshaal.
