Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Hamas’s leadership council chairman Ismail Darwish and other leaders in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday. According to a Taliban foreign ministry spokesman, Muttaqi praised Hamas’ “struggle and steadfastness” against Israel.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, wrote on the X page that during the meeting, they prayed for the victims of Gaza and condemned the “genocide” of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Taliban has reacted to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the former political leader of Hamas, and has occasionally condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In a meeting with Hamas political leaders in Doha, Muttaqi said that “the people of Afghanistan support the legitimate struggles of the brotherly Palestinian people and wish them success.”

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed about 2,500 people and took 250 more hostages, the Israeli army launched a massive operation to free its hostages and suppress Hamas and its allied groups in Gaza.