Hamas Calls on Ally Iran to Halt Attacks on Gulf States Amid Rising Regional Conflict

Hamas urged its key ally Iran to stop attacking Gulf states while simultaneously defending Tehran's right to retaliate against the United States and Israel, as the conflict in the Middle East entered its 15th day on March 14, 2026. The Palestinian armed group issued the rare dual-track appeal as Iranian strikes continued to cause casualties and damage across several neighboring countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. The statement reflected the tension between Hamas's alliance with Iran and its concern for the broader regional fallout from the ongoing conflict. According to BBC reporting, at least 18 people have been killed across the region as a result of Iranian retaliatory strikes, including 6 in the UAE and 6 in Kuwait. The conflict began on February 28, 2026, following joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, making the 15th day of fighting the backdrop for Hamas's appeal.

The conflict that erupted on February 28, 2026, followed joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to BBC reporting. Hamas, the Sunni Islamist Palestinian organization that governs Gaza and maintains a military wing known as the al-Qassam Brigades, has long counted Iran as a principal backer and arms supplier. The UAE, one of the Gulf states now caught in the crossfire, has in recent years pursued a policy of regional de-escalation, including the 2020 Abraham Accords normalization with Israel. The port of Fujairah in the UAE, home to a major oil export terminal, was struck by a drone attack, according to BBC reporting.

Hamas affirmed Iran's right to defend itself against what it described as aggression from the US and Israel, while calling on Tehran to preserve what it termed the bonds of brotherhood with neighboring Arab states. The group's appeal came as Iran simultaneously escalated its own diplomatic pressure on the region, calling on neighboring countries to expel what it described as aggressors — referring to US forces — from the region, on the grounds that American strikes on Iran were being launched from those territories. Iranian strikes hit civilian infrastructure in the UAE, including the Fairmont The Palm and Burj Al Arab hotels in Dubai, according to BBC reporting. The dual pressure — from Iran demanding expulsion of US forces and from Hamas urging restraint — placed Gulf governments in a difficult position, caught between longstanding security arrangements with Washington and the risk of continued Iranian strikes on their soil. The UAE's Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh told the BBC that Iran must end its strikes on Gulf states. „UAE would not allow its territory or airspace to be used for attacks against Iran” — Lana Nusseibeh via BBC

Iran's appeal to its neighbors framed the US military presence in the Gulf as the root cause of the escalation, arguing that strikes against Iranian territory were being conducted from bases in those countries. The Iranian government called on what it described as brother nations to remove US forces, a demand that directly conflicts with the security architecture underpinning Gulf state defense agreements with Washington. Hamas, navigating its role as both a Palestinian resistance movement and a recipient of Iranian support, stopped short of condemning Iran outright, instead framing its appeal around regional solidarity and the protection of civilian populations. The Gulf Cooperation Council states affected by the strikes have not publicly announced any intention to expel US forces, and the UAE explicitly stated it would not allow its territory to be used as a launching point for attacks on Iran. The situation left regional governments managing competing demands from two directions, with civilian infrastructure damage in Dubai adding urgency to calls for de-escalation from both Arab governments and international observers.