In a letter made public by Hezbollah’s media office on Friday, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, expressed his gratitude to Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, for his support during the current conflict with Israel.

In the letter, dated Monday, Sinwar thanks Nasrallah for the “blessed acts” of Iran-backed groups in their support for Hamas since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250. Sinwar called the war “one of the most honorable battles for the Palestinian people.”

On Oct. 8, Hezbollah started attacking Israeli military posts along the border, triggering an ongoing exchange of fire that has left hundreds dead.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the Israel-Hamas war began. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count.

The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times, and the United Nations reported the Palestinian economy is in a free fall. The report from the U.N. Trade and Development also warned of “rapid and alarming economic decline” in the West Bank, citing expanded Israeli settlements, land confiscations, demolition of Palestinian buildings and violence by settlers as dampening economic prospects.