Overview
Moaz Abu Shamala is the Hamas representative in Yemen. In this role, has helped maintain Hamas’s ties with Iran-backed Houthi rebels fighting against the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Abu Shamala has praised Houthi and Yemeni support for the Palestinian cause during multiple meetings with leaders of the Houthi government.“Yemen: Hamas faces backlash after it honours Houthi leader,” Middle East Eye, June 12, 2021, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-hamas-popularity-plummets-honours-houthi-leader.
Hamas maintains an office in Sana’a, occupied by the Houthis. It has no presence in Yemen’s capital of Aden. Abu Shamala’s relationship with the Houthi government has drawn widespread criticism and forced Hamas to declare its neutrality in Yemen’s civil war. On June 6, 2021, Abu Shamala met with Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council. At the meeting, Abu Shamala presented al-Houthi with a shield of honor on behalf of Hamas, in gratitude for the Houthis’ support of the Palestinian cause. Pro-government Yemeni human rights activists, journalists, and politicians criticized Hamas for its show of support to the Houthis.“Yemen: Hamas faces backlash after it honours Houthi leader,” Middle East Eye, June 12, 2021, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-hamas-popularity-plummets-honours-houthi-leader. Supporters of the Houthis praised the meeting, but supporters of Yemen’s internationally recognized government criticized the Houthis for meeting with Hamas.“Yemen: Hamas faces backlash after it honours Houthi leader,” Middle East Eye, June 12, 2021, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-hamas-popularity-plummets-honours-houthi-leader. Hamas itself has maintained neutrality in Yemen’s long-running war and released a statement responding to the backlash over the meeting. Hamas emphasized “statements made by the Hamas representative in Yemen about liberation and victory is only meant for the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine.”“Hamas reaffirms its neutral position on Yemeni conflict,” Hamas, June 8, 2021, https://hamas.ps/en/post/3452/Hamas-reaffirms-its-neutral-position-on-Yemeni-conflict.
Despite the backlash, Abu Shamala has continued to meet with Houthi officials and praise Houthi support for the Palestinians. In a November 23, 2021, meeting with the speaker of the Houthis’ shura council, Mohammed Hussein Al-Aidarous, Abu Shamala praised the Yemeni people and the Houthi government’s support of the Palestinian cause. Al Aidarous told Abu Shamala the Yemeni people stand with the Palestinians in demanding their rights and confronting Israel. “Shura Council speaker meets with Hamas representative,” Yemen Press Agency, November 23, 2021, https://en.ypagency.net/244745.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Hamas
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Political, religious, social service provider, terrorist, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Islamist, jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Sunni
- Position(s):
- Representative in Yemen
Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization which has killed hundreds of Israeli citizens, as well as Americans, in suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since it violently expelled the Palestinian Authority in 2007.
History
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.