Hamas and Iran have repaired a close political and military relationship frayed by the Syrian war, Reuters quoted the Palestinian resistance group's deputy leader as saying on Wednesday.
Patching up ties with Tehran could ease Hamas's financial and political isolation. Israel is blockading the Gaza Strip, while Egypt, battling militants in neighboring Sinai, has largely kept its Gaza frontier closed.
Speaking in his Gaza office, overlooking the Mediterranean, Moussa Abu Marzouk said, "I believe that bilateral relations between us and the Islamic Republic of Iran are back on track."
He also told Reuters that Hamas, the dominant armed movement in the Gaza Strip, was not seeking a new war with Israel and wanted to see the enclave rebuilt after a devastating 50-day conflict in July and August.
Last week, a Hamas delegation visited Iran, long a major supporter of the group. Hamas has been hostile toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Tehran in the three-year-old Syrian war.
"There are many indications that ... relations have been resumed in the proper way, as in the past," Abu Marzouk said, without elaborating.
