The Israeli army was met with stiff Palestinian resistance in Gaza. Photo: Palestine Chronicle
October 7 marks the day one year ago when the Palestinian Resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in its ongoing campaign to resist ‘Israeli’ occupation of Palestinian lands, including the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 97,000 injured in ‘Israel’s’ ongoing genocidal assault on the enclave, with nearly two million displaced, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
‘Israel’ has also expanded its military assault to include airstrikes as well as a ground invasion of Lebanon, killing more than 2,000 and wounding more than 9,500, according to Lebanese authorities.
Resistance movements have issued statements on the anniversary of the operation, with Hamas calling October 7 a “historic turning point in our struggle.”
‘Unwavering faith, determination’ – Hamas
“October 7th marks a historic turning point in our struggle, representing a natural response to Zionist schemes aimed at erasing our national cause, consolidating control over our land and sacred sites, Judaizing them, asserting dominance over the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, persecuting prisoners, and continuing the siege on the Gaza Strip.
“This heroic battle, led with unwavering faith, determination, strength, and capability, was carried by the Al-Qassam Brigades, alongside all Palestinian resistance factions, with the support of our people across the homeland and abroad. At the heart of this movement were the steadfast, patient, and sacrificial people of Gaza, standing at the forefront of the nation, defending the land and the holy sites.”
“As we mark one year since the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, we in the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas offer our prayers for the souls of our people’s martyrs, who ascended in our long struggle against the zionist enemy. We also pray for the martyr leaders who sacrificed their lives in this heroic battle: our brother, the martyr leader Ismail Haniyeh, our brother, the martyr leader Saleh Al-Arouri, and the caravans of the martyrs from our nation, especially from the support and defense fronts, led by the martyr, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the martyr leaders of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, whose blood mixed with the blood of our people on the path to liberating Al-Quds and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
‘Steadfastness’
Hamas affirmed, amongst others; “the steadfastness” of the people of Gaza, “their immense sacrifices their rallying around and embracing of the resistance while remaining patient and steadfast for a full year.”
“We hold the U.S. administration, a partner in this aggression, fully responsible for the continuation of these crimes and acts of genocide. We call on it to stop its biased support for the occupation and immediately act to halt this brutal genocide war,” the movement stated.
Hamas also highlighted “the expansion of zionist aggression to include Arab and Islamic countries—Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran,” saying it “proves once again that it poses a real threat to the security and stability of the region, as well as to regional and international peace and security.
“Now, more than ever, there is a pressing need to deter this rogue entity, isolate it, boycott it, and shut down all attempts to integrate it into our nation or normalize relations with it.”
‘Sacrifices’
The movement thanked “the jihad and sacrifices of our brothers in Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance, the Islamic Group in Lebanon, Ansarallah in Yemen, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Their steadfast support, sacrifices, and participation in aiding our people and resistance during the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle are recognized.”
Hamas called on “all the forces of the Islamic Nation and its free people to join this heroic battle, gaining the honor of defending Al-Quds and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
“We also renew our calll to our Arab and Islamic countries to take urgent steps to stop the ongoing aggression and genocide war against our people. We also urge the implementation of the resolutions from the Arab and Islamic joint summit held in Riyadh on November 11th of last year, calling for serious action to break the siege, bring aid and relief to Gaza, and cut all forms of political, diplomatic, and economic relations with the zionist entity.”
Boycotts and solidarity
The movement thanked South Africa for filing a lawsuit against ‘Israel’ at the International Court of Justice, and all countries that have supported the case.
“We also value all the official, popular, and partisan stances, initiatives, and activities in our Arab and Islamic world, and across the globe,” it said and commended “the mass mobilization by all free peoples and those with a conscience in capitals around the world, the union movements, popular protests, and student demonstrations in universities supporting our people’s rights.”
Hamas called for “an escalation of solidarity activities in all arenas and fields, strengthening the boycott of the occupation, condemning its crimes, and pressuring countries, entities, companies, and organizations that support the genocide war in Gaza.”
The movement also called upon “the masses of our Palestinian people in the West Bank, Al-Quds, the occupied territories, and in refugee camps and the diaspora to escalate all forms of resistance and struggle against the zionist enemy and its schemes.”
It also urged all Palestinian political factions, movements, organizations, and national figures “to unite, close ranks, and prioritize national responsibility, focusing all efforts and resources to confront this fascist aggression.”
“We affirm to the entire world that there can be no compromise on our people’s legitimate right to resist the occupation by all means necessary, to establish our free and independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital, and to live a life of dignity, free from siege, bombing, threats, or foreign control—like all other peoples of the world.”
‘Israel’ a ‘cancerous tumor’ – Hezbollah
“Today marks the one-year anniversary of the heroic Al-Aqsa Flood operation, in which the will of the Palestinian resistance was manifested in confronting aggression, oppression, and occupation that has afflicted this oppressed people since 1948, followed by wars, tragedies, and destruction.
“This operation will have historical effects and strategic results on the overall situation in the region until justice is achieved with the end of the occupation, and the Palestinian people regain their rightful, complete freedom from the river to the sea,” Hezbollah said in its statement.
The movement affirmed the “full right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation by all means necessary to restore their legitimate rights and expel the occupation.”
It also said that “despite the brutality of the occupation and its aggression, “which led to the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians and the ruthless destruction of the Gaza Strip, “this oppressive, aggressive entity has proven to be fragile and incapable of survival without American support.”
Lebanese Health Official: Zionist Regime Is Bombing Beirut With Depleted Uranuim
‘Allies and tools’ of US
Hezbollah said there was “no place for this temporary zionist entity in our region or within our social, cultural, and human fabric. It remains a malignant cancerous tumor that must be eradicated, no matter how long it takes.”
It emphasized that the United States of America, “along with its allies and tools in the world and the region, are partners in this occupation’s aggression and its crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples and the peoples of the region. They bear full responsibility for the killing, crimes, and devastating humanitarian tragedies.”
The movement also saluted “the strength and courage of our fighting brothers on the support fronts in dear Yemen and great Iraq, as well as the historic decision by the Islamic Republic of Iran to strike the heart of the zionist entity with missiles in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples.”
“Hezbollah’s decision to open the support front on October 8th to back the Palestinian people and their honorable resistance is a decision in favor of justice and full humanity. At the same time, it is a decision to defend Lebanon and its people, for which our resistance and people have paid a heavy price, both in leadership and in military and material structures, as well as through the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the heavy destruction of private properties,” the movement said.
It added that despite “the continued limitless aggression of the enemy, we remain confident, by the will of Allah, in the ability of our resistance to repel the aggression and in the patience and steadfastness of our great, resisting people, until this calamity is lifted.”
‘Israel’ ‘backed by America, Britain and supportive West’ – Ansarallah
“The ‘Israeli’ enemy has launched more than a quarter of a million airstrikes and artillery bombardments on the Gaza Strip over the past year and around 100,000 tons of explosives through bombs, missiles, and shells provided by the Americans,” Ansarallah Commander Sayyed Abdulmalik Badr El-Din Al-Houthi said in his speech marking the October 7 anniversary.
He listed estimated statistics on the destruction meted out against the Gazan people through ‘Israel’s’ ongoing genocidal campaign.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, in his speech for the anniversary of October 7th today, talking about the absurdity of saying that other Arab countries have nothing to do with Palestine, and that everyone who supports Palestine is somehow working on Iran’s behalf. pic.twitter.com/O21JDWIt0U
— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) October 7, 2024
“More than 10,000 tons consist of temporary mines that have not yet exploded, aimed at booby-trapping the Gaza Strip.
The bodies of 7,820 martyrs in Gaza have not been buried, have not reached hospitals, and have not had their data recorded. These are all estimated numbers.
The disappearance of many bodies is due to the ‘Israeli’ enemy’s use of internationally banned American weapons and bombs with genocidal and mass destruction effects.
‘Sequence of aggression’
The zionist enemy has mobilized all its resources, backed by America, Britain, and the supportive West, to attack Gaza with an army of 350,000 regular and reserve soldiers. Approximately 150,000 martyrs, missing, and wounded in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli enemy has committed nearly 3,700 massacres against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Houthi said “The criminal and aggressive path of the ‘Israeli’ enemy was not born from the Al-Aqsa Flood; it is part of a historical sequence of aggression and crime by the ‘Israeli’ enemy.
Since the cursed Balfour Declaration and the beginning of gathering Jews to Palestine, the zionists have followed a policy of massacres and brutal killings against Palestinians before the declaration of the entity.”
He added that “The steadfastness of the Palestinian people has proven that resources, equipment, and supplies are not the decisive factor in battles. The resistance factions in Gaza continue the battle against the ‘israeli’ enemy, which is supported by the US and the West, with great steadfastness in a very small and completely besieged area for nearly 20 years.
The Al-Aqsa Flood operation comes within the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to confront the occupying enemy, which holds no legitimacy in its occupation, oppression, or crimes. Al-Aqsa Flood is a natural outcome of 105 years of aggressive war, occupation, land theft, murder, genocide, displacement, and assaults sanctities, as seen in the first and second intifadas, after Arab failures and abandonment of Palestine since the humiliating agreements.”
He also addressed the intensification of ‘Israel’s’ attacks on the occupied West Bank saying this crime was not born out of the Al-Aqsa Flood but is a historical sequence of crimes.
“The number of abductees in the West Bank has exceeded 11,000 Palestinians, with about 750 martyrs and more than 6,200 wounded. Some statistics have recorded approximately 1,400 attacks in the West Bank by the occupying settlers over the past year.”
One Year On: The Geopolitical Earthquake Behind Al-Aqsa Flood
Lebanese resolve
Turning to Lebanon he said: “If the enemy thinks that killing the esteemed Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, may Allah be pleased with him, will weaken resolve, break morale, and lead to surrender, they are deluded and mistaken.”
“The calls, words, and speeches of the martyr Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah are now even more motivating and driving forces for action and steadfastness in position. The ‘Israeli’ enemy has not learned from past lessons in either Palestine or Lebanon.”
He said similarly, “the enemy” expected the morale of the Al-Qassam Brigades “would collapse” after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Al-Houthi said “Efforts on the Yemen front continue in developing capabilities, raising performance levels, and increasing operations more and more. The popular mobilization in Yemen is unprecedented, unmatched in the Islamic world or anywhere else.”
‘We are with you’
For a year now, worldwide protests have reshaped global attitudes toward the Israeli occupation and the genocide in Gaza.
Tens of millions have participated and continue to participate in weekly and daily marches advocating for the rights of Palestinians and demanding boycotts… pic.twitter.com/Q8hNGuwSPA
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 7, 2024
“We in the Yemen front have launched over 1,000 missiles and drones over the past year, and we have also used boats in the seas. Our armed forces have targeted 193 ships linked to the ‘Israeli’ enemy, and also to the Americans and the British.”
“Air and naval strikes by the enemies on our country amounted to 774 attacks, resulting in 82 martyrs and 340 injuries. No matter the extent of their military aggression against our country and the sacrifices we make, it will not deter us from our stance.”
“Whoever supports the ‘Israeli’ enemy with even a single word becomes complicit in all the crimes it commits. I say to our brothers in the Hamas movement, in Al-Qassam Brigades, in the Palestinian jihadist movements like Islamic Jihad, Saraya Al-Quds, and all the movements fighting in Palestine: We are with you, and our people are your supporters, moving with you in every way they can.”
