The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, said in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen on Monday that "Al Mayadeen has been the voice of the freedom fighters and resistance in Palestine and everywhere and must be recognized as the primary media channel of the resistance."

Al Mayadeen's CEO Ghassan ben Jeddo presented al-Nakhalah, during the interview, with a shield to honor the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel.

Moreover, Al Mayadeen announced that it will honor 11 Palestinian prisoners every year on September 6, by presenting them with the "Heroes' Shield".

Freedom Tunnel operation is a historic achievement

Al-Nakhalah said he felt great pride when the heroic prisoners succeeded in escaping from Gilboa prison and that their escape ushered in a new era in the plight of the Islamic Jihad and the resistance.

The PIJ Secretary-General noted that the "idea of the Islamic Jihad, its comportment, and history stood before a test during the Freedom Tunnel operation," which he called a "historic achievement that left its mark on the West Bank and on Palestine."

Al Nakhalah: "There are obstacles in finalizing the prisoners' deal, and God willing, when an agreement is reached, the Freedom Tunnel heroes will be included." https://t.co/b69QnT5tbk

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 10, 2022

He further declared that the Palestinian resistance is doing all that it can in order to secure the prisoners' freedom and considered this a duty that the PIJ will persevere in achieving. 

"The prisoners' freedom," al-Nakhalah said, "lies at the top of the Islamic Jihad and the resistance's priorities, and we are adamant on freeing them."

Al Nakhalah: "We were and still are proud of the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel. Their operation had an impact to start a new phase in the path of the PIJ and the Resistance." https://t.co/QMBvjlrmAt

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 10, 2022

Al-Nakhalah revealed to Al Mayadeen that there were some hindrances in achieving the prisoners' release and stressed that whenever the deal is reached, the Freedom Tunnel prisoners will be included therein. 

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West Bank incidents are not spontaneous

During the interview, al-Nakhalah asserted that the recent incidents in the West Bank are "not spontaneous." Rather this is a case of "resistance, an armed uprising, and a true and serious revolution against the occupation. We are doing all that we can in order to escalate this intifada."

He also revealed that there are efforts to "develop the capabilities of the resistance in the West Bank and spread this into '48 occupied territories."

Al-Nakhalah noted that there is a great deal of cooperation taking place between the Islamic Jihad movement and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade that began after the Freedom Tunnel operation, which opened new horizons for the resistance in the West Bank."

"What the Freedom Tunnel heroes achieved and what happened on the ground" are a new phase of resistance.

As for the Palestinian Authority, the PIJ head said that it has not changed its position vis-a-vis the resistance, but large segments of the Fatah movement are supporting all freedom fighters in the field. "Palestinian youth are gathering in groups that extend throughout the West Bank and present a true model in unison."

Palestine, he said, belongs to the Palestinian people, and the Israelis must understand that they have no chance at life in this place.

We could have continued the battle of the Unity of Battlefields alone for weeks

The PIJ leader also discussed the Unity of the Battlefields operation, saying that it was the Islamic Jihad's greatest battle because the movement fought it alone. "We did not call it Unity of the Battlefields out of nowhere; we meant the unity of Palestine and the Axis of Resistance."

One of the strategic flaws which I believe I committed was that I agreed to a ceasefire after 50 hours although we could have gone on alone for weeks while also preserving our performance in battle."

Al Nakhalah: "One of the strategical flaws I had is that I agreed to the ceasefire after 50 hours, while we were able to continue." https://t.co/XewOr5Fsuf

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 10, 2022

This battle, al-Nakhalah said, sounded alarms everywhere that the Islamic Jihad is now a force to be reckoned with in Palestine. "We will not cease our fight so long as this Zionist project is ongoing, and we will not give them any concessions," He added.

I met with President al-Assad and discussed mending ties between Damascus and Hamas

After Unity of the Battlefields, al-Nakhalah met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and said he greatly supported Palestine and the resistance.

His meeting with the Syrian President included discussions on normalization between Damascus and the Hamas movement. Al-Nakhalah revealed that according to his information, a delegation from Hamas will visit Damascus as part of a Palestinian delegation including various resistance groups.

He also stressed that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is in communication with the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement and said that they [the Ansar Allah] will play a great role in supporting the Palestinian people and resistance on the practical level.