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Palestinians will not surrender, says interim head of Hamas

November 21, 2024 at 11:13 am

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya speaks during a meeting held under the name of ‘National Developments’ in Gaza city, Gaza on 1 December 2020. [Ali Jadallah – Anadolu Agency]

The acting head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has praised the Palestinian people wherever they are, especially those who stand steadfast in the Gaza Strip. Dr Khalil Al-Hayya made his comment in a wide-ranging speech on Al-Aqsa TV.

Describing the “Zionist aggression” in Gaza as “unprecedented,” Al-Hayya pointed out that the Israeli occupation regime aims to kill all life in Gaza and displace the Palestinian people in order to liquidate their just cause.

“In fact, the occupation regime is targeting all Palestinians, including those in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem by attacking civilians, including women, children and the elderly,” said Al-Hayya. “They even bomb hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in their efforts to force the Palestinians to leave Gaza.” Such efforts include the use of starvation as an act of collective punishment, which is a crime under international law.

The Gaza Strip is being divided by the occupation forces, said the Hamas leader, with the north separated from Gaza City, and the Netzarim axis being expanded to protect occupation troops.

As well as blocking food and water supplies, he explained, the Zionist regime is blocking medical supplies and other humanitarian aid. “This is being done in front of the eyes of the world.”

Al-Hayya condemned the theft of humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip, and insisted that thefts are carried out with the support of the occupation forces. He praised the efforts made by the Palestinian security agencies and authorities to control this chaos, and called on merchants to stop buying stolen goods, which pushes prices up.

All resistance factions are active in defending Gaza and the Palestinian people, said Al-Hayya. He pointed out that legitimate resistance against the occupation forces is continuing in the north of the enclave, where Israel has admitted that a number of its soldiers have been killed and wounded.

On the political level, he stressed the need to form an administrative committee for the Gaza government made up of professionals capable of meeting the needs of the people during and after the war, especially regarding reconstruction and relief. He praised the ongoing Egyptian cooperation with efforts to stop the aggression and the provision of support, noting that negotiations regarding the Gaza Strip are proceeding.

Regarding the regional situation, he expressed his disappointment with the Arab and Muslim world, and asked why the regimes are unable to force the occupation regime to stop its aggression, despite having the capabilities to do so.

Turning to the situation in the occupied West Bank, Al-Hayya said that the occupation regime seeks to establish new facts on the ground in Palestine by trying to completely annex the Palestinian territory, while continuing its attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and cracking down on worshippers. He called on the Arab and Muslim world to step up to the mark to confront the Zionists because, “The Israeli presence threatens the security of the whole region.”

In conclusion, the Hamas leader said that the Palestinian people will not surrender. “Legitimate resistance against the occupation of Palestine will continue by all available means. Moreover, national unity is the only way to achieve victory against the occupation.”

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