Palestinian militant group, Hamas, has confirmed the killing of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, by Israeli Defense Forces.
A statement issued by the group on Friday, said its “jihad” against Israel will not stop despite the killing of its leaders until Palestine is liberated.
The statement reads in full : “Al-Qassam Brigades announces to the heavens the martyrdom of the great leader Yahya Sinwar “Abu Ibrahim”, the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, who ascended, facing and not retreating, in the most honorable battles in defense of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and our people and their legitimate rights.
“It is a source of pride for our movement to present leaders before soldiers, and for its leaders to lead the caravan of martyrs of our people who gave their lives and blood for the sake of Allah and on the path to liberating Palestine, and for its leader to be martyred among his struggling brothers, a hero engaged in combat with the invaders who thought that Gaza could be an easy prey for their cowardly army.
“The journey of our leader, Abu Ibrahim, was an honorable jihadist journey, during which he was from the founding generation of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and its military and security apparatuses.
“Then he sacrificed the flower of his youth as a prisoner in the occupation’s prisons for more than twenty years before he was released with his head held high in the “Wafa al-Ahrar” deal. Once he was released from prison, he insisted on continuing the journey of jihad and did not taste rest.
“He supervised the movement’s military work in the three regions and had an important role in the path of unifying the resistance fronts on the road to Jerusalem. Then he headed the movement in Gaza, so that his leadership period constituted a qualitative shift in its advocacy, political and military journey that culminated in “Al-Aqsa Flood,” and in the path of national relations and joint resistance work, before he headed the movement at home and abroad following the martyrdom of the great leader Ismail Haniyeh.
‘The resistance factions, with Hamas at their core, when they decided to enter this great and decisive battle in the history of the Palestinian people’s struggle and in the course of our nation, knew that the price of liberation was very high, and that all peoples had paid it before they were liberated from their occupiers. They were prepared to lead the ranks of the sacrificing people at the heart of their people, so they presented leaders and soldiers, refusing to submit to the enemy or remain silent about its injustice and plundering of our people’s legitimate rights.
“Our jihad will not stop until Palestine is liberated, the last Zionist is expelled from it, and all our legitimate rights are restored. The best evidence of this is that our people did not break or surrender after a year of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, despite the enormous price they paid and despite the brutal Zionist crimes of genocide.
“This criminal enemy is delusional if he thinks that by assassinating the great leaders of the resistance such as Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, Al-Arouri and others, he can extinguish the flame of the resistance or push it to retreat. Rather, it will continue and escalate until the legitimate goals of our people are achieved.
“Martyrdom is the highest desire of our leaders, and their blood will be a beacon that illuminates the path of liberation and a fire that burns the aggressors. Our leaders have left behind hundreds of thousands of mujahideen from our people and our nation who are determined to confront the Zionist occupation until Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque are cleansed of its filth and swept away from our land, God willing.
“It is a jihad of victory or martyrdom.”
