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Ali Al-Qahoum, member of the Political Bureau of Yemen's Ansar Allah Movement – the Houthis - reportedly met with Hamas's acting representative, Moaz Abu Shamala, in Hamas's office in Sanaa on February 27, 2024. The Houthi official stressed his group's firm commitment to continue its "major and strategic military action" against Israel in the Red Sea.
Houthi-Hamas Officials Urged Continuous Action
On February 27, Al-Qahoum published a photograph, on his account on X, of his meeting with Hamas's acting representative in Yemen. Al-Qahoum wrote that they reviewed the developments in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Houthi's military activities in the Red and Arabian Seas to "champion Palestinians in Gaza."
During the meeting, Al-Qahoum emphasized the Houthis' position: to continue the "major and strategic Yemeni military operations in striking Israel, and deny Israeli ships navigation in the Red Sea until the aggression against Gaza stops, the siege is lifted, and food and medicine are delivered to the oppressed Palestinian people."
He continued: "Yemen's position is clear. It has been declared and also observed. It is influential and effective, both in words and actions, in supporting Palestine, Gaza, and our mujahideen brethren in the Islamic resistance movements, Hamas, the [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad, and the rest of the Palestinian factions."
In the end, Al-Qahoum vowed that Houthi leader Abdul Malik Badreddine Al-Houthi, the Yemeni state, and the people of Yemen are in unanimous agreement: to support the Palestinian cause "until victory is achieved and Israel is eliminated."[1]
Participants At Political Forum Discuss "The Implications And Dimensions Of The Battle Of Red And Arabian Seas"
One day earlier, on February 26, Abu Shamala appeared among the speakers at the forum, which was organized by The National Center for Capacity Building and Decision Support, at the Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Yemen. The forum was also attended by Ahmad Baraka, the representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Khaled Khalifa and Ibrahim Nasouh, representatives of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), respectively.[2]
Constant Meetings With Senior Houthi Officials
Two weeks following Hamas October 7 attack, Abu Shamala made a series of statements and TV interviews praising the "unique" position of the Yemeni people, who were the first to take the initiative and go out in massive rallies in the capital in support of and "blessing Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" a few hours after the attack. The Hamas official repeatedly praised Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi's "coordination with the resistance axis in this battle." Abu Shamala added that he considered his position "the most important positions of the resistance axis at the regional level."[3]
Al-Qahoum and Abu Shamala last met on November 22, 2023, when the Houthi official led a delegation composed of Deputy Prime Minister for National Vision Affairs Mahmoud Al-Junaid, Politburo member Ahmad Al-Munay'i, and Houthi movement spokesperson Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, for a meeting with the Hamas official in Sanaa. The meeting was also attended by a four-man delegation representing the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Al-Islah Party.[4]
Abu Shamala, Other Palestinian Factions' Representatives Received Funds Worth $5.5 Million
It is notable that around the November meeting, the Houthis' General Authority for Zakat (charity) launched a campaign to raise funds for "the people in Gaza and its jihadi fighters." During the ceremony to mark the start of the campaign, the head of the charity announced that more than $5.5 million had been raised to date. The collected amount was handed over to the representatives of the Palestinian factions at the close of the ceremony.[5]
Shamsan Abu Nashtan, head of the General Authority for Zakat charity (left) hands over checks to Khaled Khalifa, a representative of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. (Source: Zakatyemen.net, November 20, 2023)
Hamas's Abu Shamala also met with speaker of the Houthi Shura Council, Mohamed Hussein Al-Aidarous, on several occasions following the outbreak of war. During a January 2024 meeting, Abu Shamala conveyed greetings of the group's head, Ismail Haniyeh, to the Yemeni leadership, praising Yemen's "brave position," which he claimed had "proved its effectiveness in pressuring and influencing the Zionist entity."[6]
[1] Twitter, February 27, 2024.
[2] February 26, 2024.
[3] October 19, 2023.
[4] Twitter, November 22, 2023.
[5] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Launches Fundraising Campaign For Gazans And Gaza’s ‘Jihadi Fighters;’ Raises More Than $5 Million, Novemver 22, 2023.
[6] January 20, 2024.
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