Leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) will visit Syria on Wednesday, on their first high-level visit since leaving Damascus more than a decade ago.
Two Hamas officials told Reuters in June that the group had decided to re-establish ties with Syria.
Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the movement, told Reuters the delegation will be led by Khalil al-Haya, a senior Hamas official, as part of a larger delegation that includes leaders from other factions.
Last September Hamas announced the resumption of its relations with Syria, stating that it was “a service to our nation and its just causes” and that it was “continuing to build and develop strong relations with Syria”.
The movement attributed the move to “rapid regional and international developments surrounding our cause and our nation,” an implicit reference, according to analysts, to the normalization of diplomatic relations between some Arab countries and Israel and the resumption of diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey, where some Hamas leaders have sought refuge after their departure from Syria.
