Osama Hamdan, a leader in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), confirmed that the movement still maintains a “high capacity” to continue the ongoing war with Israel, which entered its twelfth month a few days ago.
Hamdan (a member of the movement’s political bureau) said in an interview with Agence France-Presse in Istanbul that “the resistance’s ability to continue is high and will continue,” adding, “There are martyrs and there are sacrifices… but in return, there has been an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance.”
He added, “There may be sacrifices and losses on one side, and there may be gains and development on the other side.” He continued, “The final result is that this resistance is still capable, and more than that, it will be more capable of creativity in the coming days.”
His statements come less than a week after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that Hamas “no longer exists” as a military organization in Gaza.
Hamdan stressed that “the number of casualties sustained by the resistance is much less than what is expected in a battle of this size, level and breadth.”
During the interview conducted on Sunday, Hamdan believed that the United States – Israel’s largest military and political supporter – is not making sufficient efforts to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make concessions that would put an end to the bloodshed, but rather is trying to justify the Israeli side’s evasion of any commitment.
Netanyahu has previously accused Hamas of refusing to compromise and pledged not to “give in to pressure” regarding the remaining sticking points in the deal being negotiated.
Houthi attack
On Sunday morning, the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) said that it targeted a military site in Jaffa (Tel Aviv) with a “hypersonic” missile. The Israeli army announced that it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile over the Lod Airport area between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while Israeli media reported that the missile targeted Ben Gurion Airport east of Tel Aviv and fell southeast of the airport.
Commenting on this, Hamdan said that the attack showed the limitations of Israel’s ability to defend itself, including the air defense system that it boasts about a lot.
He considered the attack to be “a message to the entire region that Israel is not an immune entity… even Israel, with its capabilities and technology, is not able to prevent access to it and its being hit,” and he continued, “The possibility that the resistance action against the Zionist entity will develop is serious and real and is not something of an illusion or an unattainable hope.”
Hamdan also reiterated Hamas’ position – which said an attack earlier this month in which a Jordanian truck driver shot and killed three Israeli guards at a border crossing reflected widespread anger toward Israel in the region.
The day after the war.. a Palestinian day
Regarding the day after the war, Hamdan said that it is impossible to imagine a scenario in which the head of the movement’s political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, leaves the Gaza Strip.
He added that Sinwar “is prepared to be martyred a thousand times in Palestine and not leave because everything he does is to liberate Palestine.”
Hamas is sticking to its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along the Egyptian border that has emerged as a major sticking point in truce talks.
Hamdan said Hamas wants “joint Palestinian rule” in Gaza once the war in the besieged enclave ends, adding that Hamas officials and representatives of other Palestinian factions will soon meet in Cairo to discuss their post-war vision.
He added, “We agreed to form a national unity government to manage Palestinian affairs in Gaza,” stressing that “the next day must be Palestinian.”
