Iran rejects claims linking Tehran to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel – World

TEHRAN – Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on Saturday rejected claims linking Tehran to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, according to the official IRNA news agency.

In a statement, the Iranian mission responded to questions from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal regarding Israel’s claim to have access to the minutes of Hamas’s secret meetings, which it said suggested Tehran had knowledge of the group’s plan for the attack was informed of October 7th. says the report.

“While Hamas officials based in (the Qatari capital) Doha have stated that they had no information about the operation and that Hamas’ Gaza-based military wing alone was responsible for planning, deciding and directing the operation, “any claims partially or fully linking the operation to Iran or Hezbollah are invalid and derived from forged documents,” the mission said.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that minutes of Hamas’s secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military and obtained by the American newspaper, contained a detailed record of the planning for the October 7 attack as well as the determination of Yahya Sinwar. The acting head of Hamas’ political bureau is tasked with persuading the Palestinian group’s allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the operation or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel should Hamas carry out a surprise cross-border raid.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli military launched a large-scale offensive against Gaza.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that while Iran supports Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas, it had no knowledge of the attack on Israel and was not involved in its execution.