A senior delegation from Hamas, led by its head of the Arab and Islamic Relations Office, Dr Khalil al-Hayya, has rounded off its visit to Iran.

The delegation included Osama Hamdan, Abu Ahmed Jamal, and Dr Khaled Qaddoumi, Hamas representative in Iran.

The movement’s delegation participated in the "Islamic Unity Conference" organized by the "World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought" on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammed's birthday.

In his speech during the conference, Al-Hayya called on the Islamic nation from different sects to unite in the face of common challenges, foremost is the Zionist occupation and American colonialism, stressing that the Islamic nation possesses the factors and components of unity.

Al-Hayya referred to the crimes of the Zionist entity against Islamic sanctities, pointing out that "the occupation seeks to Judaize Jerusalem and impose new fait accompli at Al-Aqsa Mosque".

Al-Hayya explained that the Muslim world can achieve unity only by unifying its attitude towards Palestine and ending the Zionist project in Palestine and Jerusalem.

Several meetings

The Hamas delegation held several meetings with Iranian officials led by Sheikh Hamid Shahriari, Secretary-General of Proximity Assembly, and other Iranian officials and guests participating in the conference from other countries.

During a meeting with Sheikh Shahriari, Al-Hayya reviewed the developments of the Palestinian cause in light of the attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the city of Jerusalem, and its neighborhoods, as well as the issues of detainees, colonial settlements in the West Bank, and the siege on the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas delegation congratulated Sheikh Shahriari on the success of the 35th Islamic Unity Conference. In turn, Sheikh Shahryari stressed the firm position on the Palestinian cause and support of Palestinian rights and affirmed his continuous quest for the unity of the Islamic nation.

Hamas delegation headed by Dr Khalil al-Hayya visited the headquarters of the Call and Reform Organization, which operates among Sunnis in Iran, and held talks with the Secretary-General of the Organization, Dr Abdulrahman Pirani, and other leaders.

In the meeting, Pirani spoke about the activities and achievements of the Call and Reform Organization, praising the Palestinian resistance for facing off the Israeli occupation, and calling on Islamic peoples to unite in confronting this occupation.

In order to achieve true Islamic unity, al-Hayya called for “reinforcing factors of unity, containing sectarian strife and political conflict which leads to infighting, fulfilling our duties towards our religion, supporting resistance, and paying attention for the issues of the oppressed of our Ummah.”     
      
Al-Hayya stressed that Hamas and the Palestinian people are committed to the option of resistance in the face of the Israeli occupation. 
“The people of Palestine are determined to face off the Israeli occupation until ending it,” al-Hayya continued. 

Meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

During meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he stressed that the Muslim Union would solve the Palestinian issue in the best way, adding that "the Palestinian cause constitutes a basic criterion for the unity of the Islamic nation."

"The issue of Islamic unity is not a temporary tactical issue, but rather a legal duty and an urgent necessity", Khamenei added.

The final statement of the 35th International Islamic Unity Conference affirmed the status of the Palestinian cause as the central issue on the international and Islamic arenas, stressing that "peace, security, and stability in the world can only be established by removing the hotbeds of crisis represented by global Zionism."

The statement added "The normalization by some countries encourages the Israeli occupation to persist in its brutality and aggression," calling on those countries to reconsider their positions.

The participants in the conference saluted the Palestinian resistance for remaining steadfast in the face of the Zionist occupation, calling on the Muslim countries to support and assist them.