Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Middle East Focus is a weekly podcast featuring talk and analysis on U.S. foreign policy, contemporary political and social issues in the Middle East, and the arts and culture of region. It is produced by the Middle East Institute, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.mei.edu.

  1. All Episodes
  2. As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?

As Iran Weakens, Can Hamas Survive?

Mar 26, 2026

MEI Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack how Hamas is navigating the US-Israel conflict with Iran and its impact on Gaza. Two and a half years after the start of the Gaza war, international attention has shifted away from the humanitarian crisis in the devastated coastal strip. Meanwhile, Hamas’ primary state sponsor, Iran, has been severely weakened by US-Israeli military strikes and the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AbuMousa examines how this could affect Hamas’ trajectory moving forward and its place within the Axis of Resistance, as well as what it all means for the Palestinian people.
 
Read Jaser’s argument for why now is the time to focus on Gaza here, and his analysis of the power struggle within Hamas following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei here.
 
Recorded on March 24, 2026.