Members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance, march with their weapons to show loyalty to the new elected leader al-Nakhalah, during a rally in Gaza, October 4 2018. Photo: Adel Hana/AP/File photo.
Palestinian factions in Gaza say that the battle against Israel will continue until “all goals are achieved.”
The spokesmen of the Palestinian resistance factions have issued statements referring to the Israeli agreement to a temporary ceasefire as a capitulation.
On 24 November, Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Resistance Movement Ziad Nakhala said “the truce is a clear admission of the enemy’s setback, forced due to its losses in the [battle] field and the stalling of its ground forces despite ground troops and aerial raids.”
“With the resilience of our fighters in the field, we will later force the enemy into a major exchange operation that ensures the liberation of all our prisoners under the principle of ‘everyone for everyone,’” he added.
Abu Obeidah, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, provided statistics for the war.
“We have documented the targeting of 335 Zionist military vehicles since the beginning of the ground incursion, directly hit by our anti-armor weapons, guerrilla action devices, and Shuath explosives,” Abu Obeidah said on Thursday.
Before the truce came into effect on 7 a.m. Friday, Abu Obeidah mentioned that the Qassam Brigades fighters continued to launch mortar fire against the Israeli army and other attacks against Israeli armored vehicles.
“We face a barbaric invading force that knows neither the religion nor the ethics of war, only proficient in killing,” he added. “The enemy is still concealing its true losses, which we know and witness… Our fighters closely witness the killing of enemy soldiers and observe their struggles in retrieving the bodies and injured from the battlefield.”
A child from #Gaza expresses his happiness with the temporary ceasefire and wishes for a permanent one. pic.twitter.com/Qw0bco5Mbk
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 24, 2023
The spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Abu Hamza, said that the resistance forces of Palestine will do whatever they can to stop the looming military occupation of Gaza.
“We will not raise the white flag, and we will only emerge from the battle victorious,” he added, stressing that the resistance “will not stop this battle until our goals are achieved.”
He made sure to mention the occupied West Bank, saying that these remain a vital part of restoring Arab and Islamic honor.
For his part, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said he rejected the truce, saying that if the fighting does not continue after the pause, “we will have nothing to do in this government.”
Israel’s official statement to AFP regarding the ceasefire said that the government and army will “continue the war” and ensure that there is no longer any threat to the nation from Gaza.
