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On May 7, 2024, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Tala'i' Al-Ansar media outlet published[1] a poster featuring an excerpt from a January 4, 2024 audio message by ISIS spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari.[2] Titled "The Truth About the Imaginary Resistance Axis," the excerpt claims that the Gaza war has revealed that Iran is using Palestinian factions in Gaza to fight on its behalf and implement its "plans," while Gaza alone suffers the consequences of the "fierce battle… [that sheds] the blood of its children and women." The text is accompanied by an image depicting Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar alongside Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian military officials, above an image showing ruins in Gaza.
On May 9, the media group published[3] an additional poster featuring an excerpt from the same audio speech. The excerpt declares allying with "Rafidites" [pejorative term for Shi'ites] a "sin" that has peaked in recent years, as Palestinian factions have "thrown themselves into Iran's lap" and announced the formation of the "resistance axis" and "Al-Quds axis," allowing Shi'ite Iran to manage the "Palestinian scene" and portray itself as Palestine's savior. It adds that while Palestinian military groups routinely express gratitude to Iran-backed militias in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, all "commentators and observers" acknowledge that Iran has abandoned them militarily.
The text is accompanied by an image depicting Hamas military wing spokesperson Abu Ubaydah backgrounded by a crowd waving a photo of former Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini, and a photo of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh sitting alongside Khamenei.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, pro-ISIS media groups have published posters discrediting Hamas, accusing it of indifference to Palestinian suffering and condemning it for its alliance with Shi'ite Iran.[4]
[1] May 7, 2024.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM report: Islamic State (ISIS) Spokesman Instructs Muslims To Renew Lone Wolf Attacks In U.S., Europe, In Support Of Gaza; Discredits Palestinian Factions For Their Alliance With Iran, Calls On Arabs To Rebel Against Their Rulers, January 4, 2024.
[3] May 9, 2024.
[4] See MEMRI JTTM reports: Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Groups Condemn Hamas For Alliance With Shi'ite Iran; Claim Shi'ites Greater Enemy Than Jews; Discredit Hamas Leaders For Staying In Qatar, January 30, 2024; Posters By Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Groups Condemn Hamas For Its Alliance With Shi'ite Iran, Fighting For National Reasons Rather Than Religious, January 15, 2024.
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