Al-Quds Brigades were ready for months-long battle: PIJ official

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The Israeli occupation thought that it could rebuild its deterrence and shield in the face of the Palestinian Resistance, though the deterrence in question was lost, and "Israel" is no longer capable of threatening the Palestinian people, Islamic Jihad senior official Mohammad Al-Hindi told Al Mayadeen on Sunday.

"We lost nothing, and those who were martyred have become icons in the eyes of the free people of the world," Al-Hindi said.

"Israel, despite being armed to the teeth, was unable to score a victory against the blockaded Gaza Strip, and this is truly an accomplishment," he stressed.

Furthermore, Al-Hindi underlined that the Palestinian Resistance factions were "prepared for a months-long battle."

"The occupation was mortified of the resistance factions having a united front and that the confrontation expands to include Hamas," the PIJ official said. 

"Israel has many internal problems, and it cannot escape them by imposing a certain security agenda on others," Al-Hindi added. "The partners of the government of occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu all believe in decisiveness, and they were all against the negotiations in Cairo."

"Until the final moment, there was paramount pressure on Netanyahu not to agree to the agreement," he revealed. Meanwhile, Netanyahu was "asking for a ceasefire and wanted an end to the confrontation at the soonest possible time and to establish deterrence against the PIJ."

Al-Hindi also touched on the Egyptian mediation effort that contributed to the ceasefire, underlining that it had the main role in terms of the mediation.

"Iran is the sole state that supports Palestine with arms and money," he stressed. "We underline to Iran that the Palestinian cause is the cause of the whole Arab and Islamic worlds."

"We have proven Israel's failure to sow division and restore its deterrence." Al-Hindi expressed his belief that "Netanyahu will face blame and investigations from Israeli institutions."

Al-Quds Brigades mourned 11 martyrs of its top military brass during the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, stressing that these martyred leaders left were killed after a great jihadi project and had a strong effect on the resistance and liberation project.

The Israeli occupation launched a five-day aggression against the Gaza Strip, targeting residential houses in the north, center, and south of the Strip.

In retaliation, Al-Quds Brigades and the Palestinian Resistance factions launched Operation Avenging the Free, in which it fired advanced rockets and missiles that bypassed the Iron Dome and targeted several Israeli settlements, occupied cities, and occupation sites.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of Palestinians killed in the aggression rose to 33 martyrs, including six children and three women, and 147 people were wounded.

The Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian Resistance Factions in Gaza said on Saturday that Operation Avenging the Free was a new chapter of glory that the Resistance fought as a unified structure.

In a statement, the Operations Room said although Operation Avenging the Free has ended, the banners will not and shall not be lowered, and the will to fight will not and shall not ever dwindle.

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