Terror organizations mourn Khamenei, while the PA has no comment
While the PA has mostly stayed silent about the war with Iran and hardly mentioned the death of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, two terror organizations have published eulogies, praising Iran's tyrant as a great "leader and guide" who was at the forefront of the struggle to "eliminate the Zionist project" with "courageous resistance" and support of Hamas in its Oct. 7 war on Israel.
The PA's strictly informative reports on the war and the lack of eulogies for Khamenei stand in stark contrast to the PA's glorification of Hamas leaders who were killed in the Oct. 7 war against Israel. Palestinian Media Watch exposed the PA's responses to Israel's killing of Ismail Haniyeh, whom they praised as a "great leader and national symbol", calling his assassination a "heinous crime" and a "grave tragedy".
The difference is that this time the US is directly involved in the war and the PA doesn't want to anger the Americans, perhaps learning the lesson of the First Gulf War, when the PLO strongly backed the wrong horse, Saddam Hussein. Moreover, since Iran attacked other Arab states, the PA cannot allow itself to be seen as supporting Iran or mourning its leader.
The following are the eulogies of the terror organizations:
The PFLP:
After the initial poster mourning and glorifying Khamenei, which Palestinian Media Watch exposed yesterday, the PFLP followed up with a longer eulogy praising the "leader and guide of the revolution in Iran." The PFLP stressed that his death is a "loss" for those forces seeking to destroy Israel and "break American hegemony" (see longer excerpt below):
Posted text: "The PFLP announces with mourning... the death of great leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei, leader and guide of the revolution in Iran... who ascended to Heaven in a criminal and treacherous assassination operation carried out by the Zionist-imperialist alliance forces.
We in the PFLP, as we bid farewell to this revolutionary fighter… emphasize that his departure constitutes a loss to the global confrontation forces working to break the American hegemony and eliminate the Zionist project. The deceased dedicated his life to leading the struggle against the expansion and control projects, and worked for three decades to establish the regional status of the republic; and as a central support base for the national liberation movements – foremost among them the Palestinian resistance (i.e., terror organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad etc.), which found strategic support from him even in difficult times...
The PFLP... emphasizes that strengthening coordination between the liberation forces, and deepening ‘the unity of the trench and resistance in all arenas of confrontation' is the effective way to deal with imperialist and Zionist arrogance."
[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Twitter channel,
March 1, 2026]
Hamas:
The Hamas terror organization published a eulogy for Khamenei that specifically mentioned his "support" to Hamas in its Oct. 7 war against Israel in which 1,100 Israelis and foreigners were murdered, 251 taken hostage and over 5,000 wounded:
Posted text: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate – ...
We in the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas express all condolences and solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, and its people, on the death of the Martyrs of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei – Leader of the Islamic Revolution with a group of political and military leaders – ...Following a treacherous Zionist-American attack on Tehran, the capital of Iran... we mourn Ayatollah, the Martyr Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and extol his long-standing work and legacy in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause, and his courageous resistance. This is a path that lasted nearly four decades, during which the late Martyrdemonstrated all forms of support – political, diplomatic, popular, and military – for our people and their resistance... including in the "Al-Aqsa Flood" campaign (Hamas' name for its terror war against Israel; see note below -Ed.)."
[Hamas Movement, Telegram channel, March 1, 2026]
Hamas continued to say that the death of Khamenei – "one of our great men" - won't stop them from pursuing their goal; "the liberation of Palestine" and "the end" of Israel:
"All the pure Martyrs (i.e., terrorists) who ascended to the heavens on the path to liberating Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and all the pure blood spilled on the land of Palestine and every inch of our Arab and Islamic lands, in defense of the supreme cause of our nation, and for the future of the region... will be a curse that haunts the [Israeli] criminals, destroys their projects, erases their plans, and brings their end closer. Their crimes will only add to our people and the living forces in our nation, even more determination on the path of defending rights, sovereignty, land, and holy places...
Indeed, the flag of the defense of Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa, and the support of our people and their heroic resistance – is a symbol of honor... and it will not fall or disappear with the ascension to the Heavens of one of our great men (i.e., Khamenei)... and it will remain a raised flag that will not fall, and [will continue to be] a legacy that all the free people in the nation and the world commit to carrying, remaining loyal to it, and sacrificing for it – until the liberation of Palestine and the end of the occupation."[Hamas Movement, Telegram channel, March 1, 2026]
Hamas also published a poster of Khamenei with formal condolences to the Iranian people:
Posted text and text on poster: "Hamas: We express our full condolences and solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership, and its people, on the death of the Martyrs:
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei – Leader of the Islamic Revolution
and a group of political and military leadership figures –
Brigadier General Aziz Nusayr Zadeh – Iranian Minister of Defense
Ali Shamkhani – Secretary of the Iranian Defense Council
Major General Muhammad Bakur – Commander of the Revolutionary Guards
Major General Abd al-Rahim al-Mousawi – Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
Official site – Hamas Movement"[Hamas Movement Telegram channel, March 1, 2026]
Operation Roaring Lion (Operation Epic Fury in the US)
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
The following are longer excerpts of Hamas' and PFLP's eulogies:
Posted text: "Eulogy announcement
The Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] (PFLP) eulogizes the leader of the Iranian revolution, great leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei, and a group of commanders who died as Martyrs (refers to Operation Roaring Lion; see note below -Ed.).
The PFLP announces with mourning... the death of great leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei, leader and guide of the revolution in Iran, and a group of his fellow comrades from among the commanders... who ascended to Heaven in a criminal and treacherous assassination operation carried out by the Zionist-imperialist alliance forces.
We in the PFLP, as we bid farewell to this revolutionary fighter who received the banner of the revolution from its founder [former Iranian Supreme Leader Ruhollah] Khomeini, emphasize that his departure constitutes a loss to the global confrontation forces working to break the American hegemony and eliminate the Zionist project. The deceased dedicated his life to leading the struggle against the expansion and control projects, and worked for three decades to establish the regional status of the republic; and as a central support base for the national liberation movements – foremost among them the Palestinian resistance (i.e., terror organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad etc.), which found strategic support from him even in difficult times...
This crime is not the end of the road, but rather a new chapter in the path where the awareness of the peoples regarding the justice of the struggle is growing, and the determination to resist and defend sovereignty is deepening. Iran, thanks to its solid institutions and united people, will continue and overcome this severe blow, and it can fill any leadership void... and maintain its revolutionary path and choices...
The PFLP... emphasizes that strengthening coordination between the liberation forces, and deepening ‘the unity of the trench and resistance in all arenas of confrontation' is the effective way to deal with imperialist and Zionist arrogance.
Glory and eternity to the Martyrs... and we are inevitably the victors.
The PFLP
Central Information Department
March 1, 2026"
[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Twitter channel, March 1, 2026]