Speaking directly to Gazans for 1st time, Iran leader vows full support for resistance

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Iran’s president on Friday delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip — a rare display of Iran’s importance to the Hamas terror group that rules the territory.

Speaking virtually to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad terror group gathered at a soccer stadium in Gaza City, Iran’s conservative President Ebrahim Raisi urged Palestinians to press on with their struggle against Israel.

His speech — the first of its kind to Palestinians — appeared to culminate years of quiet diplomacy aimed at mending a rift between Hamas and its long-time patron, Iran, over the devastating civil war in Syria. READ MORE