Hamas vows to continue until all Israeli prisons are empty
The Palestinian group has issued a statement saying it will continue its work until Israeli prisons are emptied of prisoners.
Hamas also claimed that the large crowds that gathered to welcome the freed Palestinian prisoners despite Israel’s attempts to prohibit celebrations was “a message that the issue of prisoners is a red line”.
Hamas announces killing of top military commander Mohammed Deif
Hamas confirmed Deif’s killing in a statement.
Israel had claimed that it had killed Deif in an air attack in July, but the Palestinian group had not confirmed his death.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/13/at-least-50-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-al-mawasi-safe-zone-in-south-gaza
Hamas confirms killing of deputy military commander Marwan Issa
After confirming the death of military commander Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida adds that deputy military commander Marwan Issa was also killed, and announces the death of a number of other commanders.
Israel says it killed Issa in March. At the time, senior Hamas officials told Al Jazeera that the group’s political bureau had not received evidence of Issa’s death.
Abu Obeida also confirmed the killing of several other Hamas military commanders, including Ghazi Abu Tamaa, the commander of weapons and combat services, Raed Thabet, commander of manpower and head of supplies unit, and Rafei Salama, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade.
Qassam Brigades’ Abu Obaida on Mohammed Deif
Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida repeatedly praised Deif during his announcement that the military commander had indeed been killed.
“This is befitting of our leader Mohammed Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years,” Abu Obaida said.
“How, by God, could Mohammed Deif be mentioned in history without the title ‘martyr’, and without the medal of martyrdom?” Abu Obaida asked. “And how could Marwan Issa, the brain of the Qassam Brigades and its pillar, die in his bed?”
Mohammad Deif seen as a symbol of Palestinian armed struggle
Deif’s evasiveness and leadership of the Qassam Brigades made him emblematic of Palestinian armed struggle even before the October 7 attack.
While Israel was able to kill dozens of Palestinian military leaders over the decades – including many Qassam Brigades commanders like Salah Shehada, Imad Aqel and Yahya Ayash – Deif managed to survive and continue fighting.
Under his guidance, Hamas’s military wing grew from small bands of ill-equipped fighters into the army-like force that launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
While Deif was based in Gaza, in recent years, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem would chant his name in calling for help against Israel.
A rhyming Arabic chant that began in East Jerusalem became especially popular during the war on Gaza: “Put the sword next to the sword, we are Mohammad Deif’s men.”
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