Gaza’s Hamas rulers play down pro-Iran demonstration

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers are trying to distance themselves from a protest staged by a pro-Iranian militant group that harshly attacked Saudi Arabia over its role in Yemen’s civil war. During Saturday’s demonstration by Islamic Jihad, dozens of protesters chanted “Death to the House of Saud” and waved posters of the leader of Yemen’s Houthi militia. Hamas didn’t participate in the protest. But the militant group authorizes all public gatherings in Gaza. The protest has threatened to embarrass Hamas, which already is largely isolated in the Arab world, and draw attention to its own ties to Iran.