Hamas says ties with Islamic Jihad stable

Relations between Hamas and Islamic Jihad are “not tense at all,” a Hamas spokesman said Monday.

Sami Abu Zuhri told journalists that the relationship between the two Islamist movements “is strategic. We believe there are stable relations with Islamic Jihad at the highest levels.”

The spokesman said his movement consults Islamic Jihad on matters related to “the Palestinian people’s interest, and there is field coordination between the movements as efforts to develop better relations are ongoing.”

The Hamas official’s comments follow a dispute between combatants affiliated to both movements.