In a pre–recorded speech celebrating the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Hamas movement, the military leader of Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Mohammed al-Deif called for Palestinians to be united in order for them to end the Israeli occupation.
If Israel has failed to defeat Palestinians when it was at the height of its power, how can it possibly defeat them now, Al-Deif told thousands of Hamas supporters at a Gaza rally on Wednesday.
“It is time for all the banners to be united and all the fronts to be joined, and all the platforms (of Resistance) to be opened towards a single goal, and that is the liberation of Palestine,” al-Deif said.
The head of Hamas in Gaza Yahya Sinwar also spoke at the mass rally. Hamas is giving “the Occupation limited time to finalize the prisoners’ exchange deal, or it will be shut down forever,” Sinwar said. The Hamas leader added that in the case of ending indirect talks regarding the prisoners’ exchange, Hamas will find other ways to release Palestinian prisoners.
Sinwar also declared support for armed Resistance in the Jenin refugee camp, the Lions’ Den group in Nablus and the Balata Brigades, and other groups throughout the West Bank. He also called on the Palestinian Authority to end ‘security coordination’ with Israel and to stop the arrest of anti-occupation activists, urging the PA to “immediately” sit down to discuss the relaunch of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
“Security coordination with Israel achieved nothing for our people except failure,” Sinwar said.
Thousands of Palestinians arrived at the Katiba Square in central Gaza starting in the early hours of Wednesday to take part in Hamas’ anniversary rally.
The Palestinian group was established in 1987 in Gaza and quickly spread to the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories and beyond. In 2006, Hamas won the legislative elections in Palestine, which led to a political rift that divided Palestinian society for many years.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
