Moussa Abu Marzouk
Moussa Abu MarzoukAbed Rahim Khatib/Flash 90

The London-based Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Thursday that Hamas has recently strengthened its ties with Iran and Hezbollah as part of its joint efforts against the "deal of the century” being promoted by the Trump administration and aimed at solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.

According to the report, Hamas is working to create a Palestinian-Arab-Islamic front against the Trump administration’s plan, and significant progress has been made in contacts with Iran and Hezbollah.

Palestinian Arab sources told the newspaper that Hamas has also been in contact with Russia and China.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, recently said in a television interview that "no one should criticize Hamas", adding that "our relations with Iran are excellent" and that the relationship "is close to the situation that existed before the events in Syria."

The disconnect between Iran and Hamas began when Hamas refused to support Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a close ally of Iran's, in the uprising against him. An angry Iran then reportedly stopped supplying the terror group with weapons.

Last summer, however, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh thanked Iran for its "unlimited" support for the Al-Qassam Brigades and its contribution to the development of Hamas's military capabilities, an indication that the rift was over.

Deputy Hamas leader Salah al-Aruri led a high-ranking Hamas delegation to Tehran in October, where he declared that the group and Iran have agreed to set aside their past differences.