Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoa described his movement’s relationship with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as “strategic, constant, and permanent.”

In a press release on Thursday, al-Qanoa said that the latest bilateral meetings between Hamas and PIJ in Egypt had heralded a new stage characterised by closer coordination and coherence between both movements.

The summits held with PIJ have built up more strengths between the two movements and quashed rumours that have been recently circulated in a bid weaken ties between both groups, al-Qanoa added.

Al-Qanoa explained that the Hamas-PIJ meetings in Cairo had cemented their relationship and foiled all attempts to provoke a division between the Palestinian resistance movements.  

The Hamas-PIJ relationship is based on three common factors, Al-Qanoa pointed out, noting that the first one on which is the bilateral meetings where both movements discuss a number of issues related to the Palestinian cause.

The second shared factor, al-Qanoa continued, is the joint national field action, either through the High Committee of the Great Return March or the Joint Operation Chamber, which is co-created by PIJ, in addition to a national program agreed upon by both movements.

The third factor is a constant strategic and political program, based on a shared vision for both movements to liberate Palestine and not to concede any part of it, as well as embracing the option of resistance with all its forms and rejecting the option of negotiation and security coordination with the Israeli occupation, al-Qanoa concluded.