Hamas politburo head: Gaza liberation beginning of end for occupation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
12 Sep 2023 12:04

Ismail Haniyeh, the Head of Hamas's Political Bureau, declared that the liberation of Gaza 18 years ago marked the dawn of a new era in the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

Israeli soldiers prepare to remove settlers from a roof at the settlement of "Kfar Darom" in the Gaza Strip, August 2005 (Israeli Media)

Ismail Haniyeh, the Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, affirmed in a statement released on the eighteenth anniversary of the liberation of the Gaza Strip that a new chapter has begun in the conflict with the Israeli occupation.

The chapter is "Palestinian Victory", he explains. He noted that the victory represents the commencement of a comprehensive liberation phase for Palestine, starting from the liberation of Gaza 18 years ago.

On this occasion, Haniyeh noted that raising the Palestinian flag over the ruins of 21 settlements on September 12, 2005, "marked a new dawn for the Palestinian people," especially as those settlements occupied nearly 40% of the Gaza Strip's territory.

Haniyeh emphasized that the Israeli withdrawal was an inevitable result of the escalating Resistance and its adoption of new patterns of confrontation, whether through mortar shells and Qassam rockets or the use of tunnel warfare: pointing out that the Resistance had demonstrated its triumphant ability to impose its will in the conflict.

Recalling the successive successes that followed, Haniyeh called for the neutralization of settlements in the West Bank, affirming that al-Quds remains the compass of the Resistance in their battle against the occupation.

It was announced earlier today that the Joint Operations Room of Palestinian Resistance Factions (JOR) initiated the Al-Rukn al-Shadid (Mighty Pillar) 4 drills, kicking off with a rocket launch toward the sea.

A military official from the Joint Room stated that the exercise serves as a continuation of the annual Al-Rukn al-Shadid conducted by the Resistance factions, encompassing both land and sea combat scenarios.

Speaking to the WAFA agency, the military official clarified that the objective of the exercise is to enhance preparedness and readiness of all Resistance factions in the face of Israeli threats.

The military official outlined that the maneuvers would simulate scenarios involving infiltrations, raid operations, attacks behind enemy lines, the capture of soldiers, and missile strikes on hypothetical sea targets.

The drills also coincide with the 18th anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.