London, Thanasis Gavos

Letters to the leader of Hamas which according to Israel they reveal the extent of funding of the Palestinian organization from Tehranpublishes a Times response from Jerusalem.

The letters have been given to the British newspaper by the Israeli authorities.

The two letters to Yahya Sinuar have been written in 2020 and 2021 from the head of the armed wing of Hamas Marwan Issa (believed to have been killed last month in Gaza). Among other things they appear to contain a list of “payments from Iran between 2014 and 2020”.

According to the Times, which publishes a handwritten letter and the specific list of payments, alleged funding from Iran to Hamas in those six years plus 2021 totals at least $222 million.

Iran’s stance on war in the Middle East has alarmed the West, particularly after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened an attack on Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Thursday night UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron notified through the X platform how he contacted his Iranian counterpart Amir-Abdollahian.

“I made it clear that Iran must not drag the Middle East into a wider conflict. I am deeply concerned about the possibility of a miscalculation that would lead to further violence. Iran should instead work to de-escalate and prevent further attacks.” wrote Lord Cameron.

UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps also issued a warning to Tehran, saying: “We want Iran to think very carefully before acting. There should be no threat of misunderstanding. Any attack on Israel by Iran would represent a serious miscalculation on Iran’s part.”