Haniyeh: Resistance stands strong on the battlefield
ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency
Wed / 20 December 2023 / 11:27
The head of Hamas' political bureau says the Palestinian resistance stands "firm on the battlefield" despite two and a half months of Israeli war crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Tehran-ISNA- In a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh said the volume of the Israeli military's aerial, naval, and ground attacks on the besieged Gaza has been unprecedented.
"The Zionist regime and its allies thought that they could eliminate the resistance this way and force it to raise the white flag," he noted as PressTV reported.
"The resistance, however, has still stood firm and steadfast on the battlefield and inflicted heavy damage on the Zionist regime after 75 days of Israeli crimes and mass murders as part of its scorched-earth policy."
Haniyeh also hailed the Palestinian nation for showing unique resilience and standing by the resistance while paying a heavy price for their position.
The Palestinian nation still continues the path of resistance in spite of the fact that Israel has killed and injured tens of thousands of people in Gaza, destroyed hundreds of houses, attacked hospitals and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory, he emphasized.
The Hamas chief further thanked Amir-Abdollahian for following up on the developments in Gaza, saying the top Iranian diplomat has made four visits to Qatar since the beginning of the war.
New Gaza truce efforts
The meeting comes as a source close to Hamas told AFP that Haniyeh was due in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a fresh Gaza ceasefire.
Additionally, Israeli media reported that the regime is looking for another deal with Hamas to release 30 to 40 captives of the 128 still held in Gaza by the resistance group.
Israel is prepared to negotiate the number of days it will hold its fire as well as the number and type of Palestinian abductees it would release in exchange for the captives, according to the reports. It is also prepared to discuss the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that the agreement "will be difficult and will demand heavy prices."
Meanwhile, Israeli president Issac Herzog told a group of foreign ambassadors that the regime was "ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release" of the captives.
A humanitarian ceasefire took effect in Gaza from 24 to 30 November. It saw an exchange of between 240 Palestinian abductees held by Israel and 105 war prisoners, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners, held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel waged the brutal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,667 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,586 others.
Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under "complete siege" by Israel.
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