November 29, 2023

The following remarks were made by Hamas – Islamic Resistance Forces – at a press conference on Nov. 28, 2023.

Mercy for the convoys of our righteous martyrs in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, the city of Al-Quds, and in the refugee and diaspora camps in Lebanon, whose blood mixed and souls soared in sacrifice and defense of the land and the sanctities at the heart of which are Al-Quds and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Peace and a salute of heroism and steadfastness to our people in the Gaza Strip, the patient, enduring, steadfast, and firm ones, despite the pain and aggression, who continue to paint a legendary picture expressing the pride of our Palestinian people, a people that does not know defeat and surrender. Peace and a salute of pride and honor to the men of Allah, the heroic resistance fighters in proud Gaza and in the noble West Bank.

First: Extending the days of the truce and the course of Al-Aqsa Flood

The ascension of the martyred leaders, from Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and from among our national symbols and heroes of our people in this blessed battle, will not break the will of perseverance and continuation of the escalating march of resistance in all arenas of the homeland and abroad. The banner has been carried after them by heroic leaders who will continue with all steadfastness and nobility the journey of liberation and return.

The Nazi enemy has failed miserably on all levels — security, intelligence, military, political and media — in the face of the steadfastness of our people and the bravery of our resistance, not achieving any of its declared goals.

The recent admission by the occupation about the numbers of its dead, wounded, and injured soldiers only reveals a tiny part of the horrifying truth it fears to publish before its terrified and already shaken internal front. This admission represents only a small part of its losses that will increase in the coming days.

As for the threats by its leaders to continue the war in Gaza after the end of the truce agreement, they are nothing but empty threats for internal consumption. As for our people and their resistance, they will continue on the path of defending themselves and their land, Al-Quds, and their prisoners until the defeat of this Nazi enemy and its disappearance.

Among the detainees released was the daughter of one of the settlers. The occupation claimed and informed her father that Al-Qassam had killed her. This is conclusive evidence that proves to the world the falsity of all the allegations made by the enemy and its army and media machine.

The delivery of detainees by Al-Qassam Brigades from various places, in all areas of the Gaza Strip, in its north and south and in the heart of Gaza City, refutes once again all the claims of the occupation army in controlling a part of the land of Gaza, and confirms that the method and way of delivery innovated by the resistance is a message to all concerned, that the resistance is steadfast, strong, continuous and firm.

The completion of the true agreement in four days, by achieving the liberation of 150 Palestinian prisoners, including our women, girls, and young boys, is a national achievement par excellence, as the names of the prisoners represented the entire geography of the homeland. It is nothing but a preamble on the path to fulfilling the promise to all our free prisoners and noble female prisoners in the jails of the Nazi enemy.

We affirm that our people will remain steadfast on their land, defending it, despite the magnitude of destruction, massacres, and genocide. Our resistance’s hand is on the trigger, serving as a protective shield for the rights of our people and their aspirations for liberation and return.

Our position will remain firm and unwavering in rejecting all plans aimed at finding solutions or imposing suspicious agendas outside the will of our people and our resistance; we warn against dealing or aligning with them.

Secondly: The destruction caused by the aggression, and the basic needs of our people in the Gaza Strip

Since the beginning of its aggressive war on the Gaza Strip, and over 50 days, the  Nazi occupation dropped more than 40,000 tons of explosives on the land of Gaza and the homes of defenseless citizens, by air, land, and sea, using internationally banned bombs and missiles, destroying all manifestations of human life in the Gaza Strip, and waging a genocide, affecting people, trees, and stones.  The goal of the Nazi occupation is to make the land of Gaza uninhabitable, a goal that will not be achieved, by the will and determination of our people.

We highly appreciate and thank all the official delegations that entered the Gaza Strip, foremost among them the delegation of the state of Qatar, represented by Lulwa Al-Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and we thank all the charitable, humanitarian, medical delegations and bodies that entered the Gaza Strip.

We renew our call to the leaders and rulers of our Arab and Islamic nation to translate the decisions of the Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh [Saudi Arabia]  into practical reality that stops the aggression, heals the wounds of our people in Gaza, and ends the siege on it.

• Despite the increase in the number of relief aid trucks that have reached the Gaza Strip, they are not sufficient for the people’s basic and essential needs. Therefore, we call for an increase in the number of trucks entering daily to meet the urgent humanitarian need in all areas of the Gaza Strip, south and north.
• In light of the closure of all hospitals, and with the rising numbers of the wounded, injured, and sick, we call on our Arab and Islamic nations and the countries of the world to send more field hospitals in all medical specialties, and to contribute to the evacuation and treatment of the wounded abroad.
• Given the extent of destruction, and the presence of thousands of bodies under the rubble of demolished buildings, and the limited capabilities of the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, we urge the countries of the world to expedite the sending of civil defense teams and specialized equipment for debris removal and recovery of the martyrs’ bodies.
• We express our disapproval and rejection of the initial report issued by Human Rights Watch regarding the aggression on the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, especially the Al-Maamadani [Baptist] Hospital, and affirm that this report aligns with and promotes the narrative of the occupation army, and does not rely on evidence from the scene, nor is it based on interviews with eyewitnesses or reports from the relevant authorities.
• We call on journalists and global media agencies to intensify their presence in the Gaza Strip to witness the scale of destruction and the signs of genocide committed by the occupation army and its Nazi army against children, unarmed civilians, and all infrastructure. In this context, we extend an invitation to Elon Musk — who visited the occupation — to visit the Gaza Strip to see the scale of massacres and crimes committed against our people, and commit to standards of objectivity and credibility, and distancing from biased politics and double standards in dealing with the cause of our people and their legitimate rights.

Third: The liberated prisoners and the occupation’s crimes against prisoners

The testimonies of 150 freed prisoners, including our women, young boys, and children, reveal the truth, scale, and brutality of the violations and crimes committed against them and the prisoners in the occupation’s jails.

In contrast, the world witnessed how the Al-Qassam Brigades treated the detainees and prisoners in their custody, including women, children and foreigners, with humane treatment that reflects high ethical standards missing in the Nazi occupation army.

The masses of our people who came out in the West Bank and Al-Quds to welcome the liberated prisoners, and their chanting with the prisoners in the name of the men of the Palestinian resistance, is renewed evidence of the popular rallying around the resistance as a strategic choice for the extraction of the rights, liberation, and return.

The fascist occupation has been trying to take revenge against the prisoners in its prisons since October 7 through a series of violations and crimes that reflect its state of fear and terror of our people’s struggle, the steadfastness of its prisoners, and the bravery of its resistance.

The occupation tried by all means to obscure the condition and reality of its released prisoners in the recent exchange agreement, in a desperate attempt to hide the humane treatment they received during their detention by Al-Qassam. However, one of the released female detainees exposed it and sent a message to Al-Qassam, expressing her gratitude and appreciation for these men.

The deception and lies practiced by the politicians in the U.S. administration and some Western countries, which are systematically echoed by the U.S. and Western media, will deepen the spreading of hatred and instability in the world, a responsibility and consequence they bear, including the recent shooting of three Palestinian youths in Vermont, USA.

Finally, on the eve of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which occurs Nov. 29

We extend our sincere greetings and great appreciation to the masses of our Arab and Islamic nation, the free people, and all those who support and stand in solidarity with our people’s struggle in every continent of the world, who continue their activism and events in rejection of the aggression and genocide against our people.

We call on them to increase their movement, interaction, solidarity, and support by all possible means, on this day and the coming days, and to move in continuous activities that expose the crimes of the occupation and its plans, isolate its entity, and stop its aggression against our land, people, and holy sites.

Mercy for the martyrs, swift healing for the wounded and injured, and victory for our people, our prisoners, and our resistance.  Indeed, it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom.

This press statement was slightly edited.