By Al-Fassel | 2024-05-21

Gazans on May 20 spared little thought for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash, saying he had failed to ease their suffering.

Raisi, his foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and seven others were confirmed dead after search and rescue teams found the remains of their helicopter, which crashed May 19 in a northwestern mountain region of Iran.

Hamas, which runs Gaza and receives financial and military support from Iran, paid tribute to Raisi's support for the Palestinian "resistance."

But Gazans in the central city of Deir al-Balah, an area which has been hit by fighting since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel sparked the ongoing war, told AFP that Raisi's legacy had been tarnished by inaction over their plight.

"He never supported us, never kept his promises, never called for a ceasefire and never stood by us. He does not concern us at all," said Deir al-Balah resident Naji Khodeir.

"He means nothing to us and nothing to Gaza," said Βilal Khodary, a displaced Gazan.

Gazans said they were more concerned with their dire humanitarian situation.

"Why should I care about this man when he has brought us only ruin?" said Hossam Abdallah.

Talk is cheap

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei was quick to praise Hamas for its October attack on Israel but was equally swift to stress that Tehran had not participated in any part of its planning or execution.

In the ensuing weeks, Iran gave lip service to the Palestinian cause but otherwise sought to distance itself from the conflict by hiding behind its so-called "axis of resistance," analysts said.

In recent months, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) commander Esmail Qaani reportedly made repeated visits to Beirut to meet with Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Foremost among the topics discussed, per a March 15 Reuters report, was the possibility that Israel will seek a full-scale offensive against Hizbullah, which could pressure Iran into a more forceful response.

Nasrallah reportedly assured Qaani that any fight was Hizbullah's alone.

But this is clearly not the case, Iranian affairs experts told Al-Fassel, dismissing the notion that Hizbullah would act alone in a heightened conflict with Israel as political and strategic "smoke and mirrors."