BY Nehme Hamie

Berlin – Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas since the assassination of his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, died fighting the Israeli army on one of the hottest and most ferocious battlefronts in the southern Gaza Strip, Tel al-Sultan in Rafah. He was not hiding in a deep underground tunnel surrounded by Israeli prisoners or those who remained alive, as the Israelis and Americans used to say to justify their inability to reach him for a whole year. Rather, he was walking with fighters in a battlefield with the Israelis, wearing a military vest with hand grenades in it, according to the Israeli narrative.

Yahya Sinwar did not die in a complex intelligence operation, according to highly credible security information, and due to a precise airstrike, as is the Israeli narrative, whenever it is able to assassinate a senior leader in Hamas or Hezbollah. Rather, the airstrike was based on a purely military context, when the Israeli forces discovered, through the cameras installed on the drones that never leave the skies of the Strip, that several Hamas fighters had taken refuge in a building. Immediately, the order was given to bomb the building, and they did not know the identities of the men who lost their lives in the strike. The infantry soldiers did not come to the site to explore it and examine the injuries, except after carefully monitoring the site and the bodies of the dead. When the soldiers finally arrived at the site, they were surprised by the body of a man who looked very much like Israel’s number one enemy these days, specifically since the Al-Aqsa Intifada on October 7 of last year, Yahya Sinwar. The story also says that the Israelis were unable to move Sinwar’s body immediately because the place was full of explosive traps that Hamas fighters had planted in advance.

What has been known since the failure of the last version of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas is that Netanyahu wanted another agreement.

Why wasn’t he in the tunnel?

The first question that comes to mind: What was the Hamas leader doing on the battlefield, in a very dangerous place, fraught with death on the ground and in the air? Why didn’t he take refuge in one of the tunnels that had been widely talked about in recent months? Why would he risk himself, as the first leader, with major responsibilities, not the least of which was managing the battle and negotiating with Israel through mediators, in order to achieve a prisoner exchange deal and a truce, amidst an extremely difficult and tragic humanitarian situation, which Palestine had not witnessed even in 1948? Was his exit from a position of general weakness or from a position of courage, daring, and indifference to death, whether it befell him, or he befell death, as was said in the era of the Companions, in a time of hardship and patience, amidst the clatter of weapons? No one is able, at this critical moment in the Gaza war, to provide an accurate picture or even one that is close to reality, in the midst of an Israeli media blackout of the situation in Gaza, and the continuous persecution of Gazan correspondents, and their assassination one after the other, without mercy, with the aim of silencing the voice and closing the picture, so that the world does not see what is really happening there.

Refusing to leave Gaza safely

But what has been known since the failure of the last version of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas is that Netanyahu wanted a different agreement, other than what the Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators were discussing, amending and studying day and night. What Netanyahu wanted was the surrender of Hamas, i.e. Sinwar, and the release of all living Israelis in Gaza, without releasing any Palestinian prisoners. In doing so, he was seeking to achieve a complete victory over Hamas, and not to repeat what happened in the past years, in terms of exchange deals with the Palestinians, all of which, without exception, were in the interest of the Palestinian side, not the Israeli side, especially the “Wafa al-Ahrar” operation in 2011, under which Yahya Sinwar was released with more than a thousand Palestinians, in exchange for the release of one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Yahya Sinwar would not repeat Arafat’s experience in this area, nor would he give up the feeling of freedom in Gaza, after he was deprived of it for more than 22 years in the occupation’s prisons.

But with the intensification of resistance operations in the Strip, despite all the severe blows that the Palestinians, civilians and resistance fighters, received, Netanyahu launched an updated version, which did not satisfy his allies from the extreme right; as he offered, through mediators, a safe exit for Sinwar, and whoever wanted to leave the Strip with him, from the supporters of Hamas and other factions, and from an innumerable number of those who do not feel safe if they remain in Gaza, stripped of its tunnels, its locally manufactured weapons, and most importantly, its fierce fighters; as if Netanyahu was offering his enemy a fate similar to that of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, when he was besieged in Beirut, with thousands of fighters.

Sinwar was not going to repeat Arafat’s experience in this regard, nor would he give up the feeling of freedom in Gaza, after he had been deprived of it for more than 22 years in the occupation’s prisons. The final equation was: the personal safety of Sinwar and his comrades and whoever he wanted from the people of Gaza, and their safe exit from the Strip to wherever they wanted or to whoever would accept them from sisterly or friendly countries, in exchange for the release of the Israeli prisoners. He refused this without discussion, and until the last moment of his life, he remained insistent on the maximum demands, which are the release of all Israeli prisoners, in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners, if emptying the prisons was not possible, with a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, and providing guarantees to rebuild the Strip again, which has become a thing of the past.

Netanyahu was deprived of the pleasure of eliminating his archenemy with a precise strike created by an artificial intelligence machine, and his arrogance increased. Sinwar did not give his enemy the opportunity to choose the time and place for a departure that had become very likely since the Al-Aqsa flood. The man of secrets left in the way he wished, not in the spectacle that Netanyahu liked.

What did Sinwar do to the world and its balances?

The deluge, with all its destructive aspects, ordered by the leader of Gaza last year, the former prisoner of Israel, Yahya Sinwar, is the one that has changed and is changing much in the region and the world . It has blown up the so-called rules of the game between Israel and Hamas in the south of occupied Palestine, and between it and the party in the north. It has even revealed the true value of the missile deterrence strategy of Iran and its agents in the region. This strategy has failed in its first tangible test.

It is now certain that the missiles of Iran and its proxies do not deter Israel from destroying populated cities. And a fortiori, they are incapable of liberating Palestine. Of course, Sinwar’s goal was not to sabotage the plans of Iran and its proxies, which took many years to prepare. But the surprise operation by Sinwar and his comrades took everyone by surprise.

Not only that, but the party lost its most valuable leaders, cadres and capabilities due to the Al-Aqsa flood, and in order to support the Gaza Strip. In addition to the enormous losses inflicted on the environment that supported it. These losses exceed any benefit that was expected from this battle.

The former prisoner of Israel, Yahya Sinwar, is the one who changed and is changing a lot in the region and the world . He is the one who blew up the so-called rules of the game between Israel and Hamas.

Here, many questions arise about the meaning, planning, expectations, preparations, and the failures and stumbles before the successes and achievements. But the most curious question is why Hamas was alone in a battle that was intended to be part of the unity of the arenas?

But did Hamas really act alone without coordination with the rest of its allies, especially Iran and Hezbollah? And why did it initiate the attack, the consequences of which are known to be dire?

But if “the flood” was the password for a coordinated attack from all fronts, why did Iran back down, and why did Hezbollah hesitate to respond to the call of Muhammad Deif, the commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades?

Regardless of the reality of the situation, a question arises that stems from the first: Did the party make a mistake by not entering with all its forces into the war that Yahya Sinwar ignited, in the first moments when Israel was lost? Or was the carefully calculated battle it did in line with its principles on the one hand, and in order to protect its interests on the other? It did not abandon the people of Gaza in their ordeal, but was careful, on the other hand, not to expose its popular environment to total destruction, by adhering to the rules of a game that no longer exists?

It is now said that the party made a mistake when it decided to enter into a half-war, according to broken rules, and under completely different circumstances. The party’s secretary-general realized, too late, especially when the systematic campaign of extermination of the party’s leaders and cadres began, that all the self-restraint he had exercised in nearly a year of a battle of attrition, to spare his supporters in particular, and the Lebanese in general, the ravages of a devastating war, had only resulted in more Israeli audacity to cross the red lines, while Israel had shown a new pattern of behavior in the Gaza Strip, when it expressed its readiness for a long, costly war, without being hindered by the issue of prisoners held by Hamas and the factions. These completely new facts changed the face of the war, and previous expectations, possibilities, and even old tools were no longer of any use.

Sinwar has entangled Israel and its allies in a quagmire from which they will not emerge without deep wounds to their image, prestige, and legitimacy, meaning that he has stripped them of all possibilities of influence through soft power.

Destruction of Gaza and displacement of its people      

As for Gaza itself, the euphoria of victory did not last long, following the unprecedented success of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” in storming military and intelligence sites in the Gaza envelope, in addition to invading the settlements spread around the Strip.

Netanyahu exploited the very difficult event to rally unprecedented international support for his plans to eradicate the danger from the Strip once and for all, with what this means in terms of complete destruction of everything above and below ground, removing the network of tunnels, disarming the resistance in Gaza, and exiling the fighters and their leaders, along with their relatives and families who support the movement, meaning tens of thousands of Gazans at the very least. This is straightforward, as is the latest proposal of the Netanyahu government.

But after the destruction of livelihoods in the Strip, it is expected that if the opportunity arises, hundreds of thousands more will “voluntarily” emigrate. This is called “transfer” in Zionist literature. Nothing prevents “voluntary” emigration from occurring later, and at an increasing rate following the ceasefire, even if Sinwar refuses to accept the deal according to the following equation: personal safety in exchange for handing over prisoners. What happened has happened, and the entire population of Gaza is now at the mercy of the Israeli occupation, in terms of providing the basic necessities of life, with no reconstruction or prosperity, no education or work, no roofs to cover heads, and no homes to shelter displaced families. In short: it is a complete defeat, by material standards. But that is only half the story. The other half of it is that Sinwar has entangled Israel and its allies in a quagmire from which they will not emerge without deep wounds to their image, prestige, and legitimacy. In other words, he has stripped them of all possibilities of influence through soft power, and forced them to use hard power in all its brutal aspects. This ultimately results in achieving a fundamental strategic gain, which is reviving the Palestinian cause and preventing Zionism, in its Jewish and Western aspects, from liquidating it through devious methods and means.

Netanyahu exploited the very difficult event to rally unprecedented international support behind his plans to eradicate the threat from the Strip once and for all.

Achievements in Hamas’s view

As for the achievements in the foreseeable future, from Hamas’s point of view, they can be seen on three levels:

1- Despite the huge losses suffered by the people of Gaza as a result of the most daring suicide operation in the history of the Palestinian resistance on October 7 of last year, the Israeli response, supported by the US and Europe, which borders on systematic genocide, with the complete closure of the political horizon to any negotiated solution, revealed the weakness of the peace process since the Oslo Accords in 1993, which was merely a distraction for the Palestinians and a waste of time until the settlers could confiscate lands in the West Bank and build settlements on them, until nothing remains of them. Now, despite the wounds, the Palestinians have no choice but to fight, because they are now facing an existential threat. What Sinwar has done is accelerate the process and shorten the time.

2- Hamas has become fully aware of the margin of maneuver that its allies in the axis of resistance have, even at a high cost. Most importantly, the painful experience in Gaza revealed the obstacles to Iran’s effective and rapid movement, even in rescuing its allies. Indeed, Hamas witnessed the slowness of the response, for example, to the assassination of the movement’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, when he was a guest of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards north of the capital, Tehran. The Iranians are known for their slow reactions and for carefully reviewing their calculations before taking any position or adopting any measure. This issue gave Israel in particular the impression, which may be correct, that it is able to cross all lines without any serious consequences. Iran did not respond differently until Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people, promising to liberate them from the tyranny regime.

3- The fierce Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded many times that number, revealed the extent of the organic relationship between the United States and Israel. This relationship has been known and public for many years. However, what has appeared over the course of this year of the quasi-subordination of the American decision to the Israeli decision has left observers confused about its description: Is Israel subordinate to the United States, or is Uncle Sam’s country subject to Israeli policies due to its clear influence in the corridors of Congress and its specialized committees, and in the structure of the Democratic Party in particular, and in the extreme right-wing evangelical environment, which is currently represented by the Republican Party?

Worse still, if Democrats have historically been sympathetic to Israel, Republican extremists, who occupy high positions in state institutions and offices, read the conflict in occupied Palestine through biblical eyes, awaiting the second coming of Christ. This religious trend in supporting Israel’s crimes has a positive impact on the Palestinian resistance, which has a religious character, allowing it to persevere and renew itself regardless of military defeats or human losses.

Five candidates to succeed Sinwar… Who are they?

Hamas faces a major challenge in identifying its new leader after the killing of its leader Yahya Sinwar. Who are the candidates to succeed him?

Khalil Al-Hayah

Among the most prominent names nominated to succeed Sinwar is his deputy in the political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, who currently heads the negotiating delegation with international mediation to reach a ceasefire with Israel, and who also manages the movement’s official meetings with its allies abroad.

Khaled Meshaal

Khaled Meshaal is also among the names being put forward to succeed Sinwar, as he currently holds the position of the movement’s head abroad and has woven a network of regional relations. He also previously held the position of head of the movement’s political bureau from 1996 to 2017.

Musa Abu Marzouq

Musa Abu Marzouk is also a name that is being considered to succeed Sinwar, especially since he was the first to assume the presidency of Hamas’s political bureau from 1992 until 1996, and the closest person to the former head of the political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh. He is also the most prominent official in the movement, especially since he is in charge of the movement’s international and foreign relations file.

Zaher Jabareen

Zaher Jabarin, the head of Hamas in the West Bank, is also likely to lead the movement in the coming period, succeeding Sinwar, as Saleh al-Arouri was elected deputy head of the movement in the West Bank in 2021, and after al-Arouri was assassinated in Beirut, Zaher Jabarin became the acting head of the movement in the West Bank.

Mohammed Ismail Darwish

Muhammad Ismail Darwish is also a name that is mentioned to succeed Sinwar. He is the head of the movement’s Shura Council and is considered a prominent figure within Hamas. He has strong relations with Iran, according to observers, and was a strong candidate to succeed Ismail Haniyeh after his assassination in Tehran.

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https://www.theinteldrop.org/2024/10/18/sinwars-death-in-a-scene-netanyahu-doesnt-like/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

Yahyah Sinwar: Anti-Terrorist Hero

We will follow in his footsteps until the genocidal Zionist entity is eliminated

KEVIN BARRETT

The psychopathic genocidal criminal organization that calls itself “Israel” announced a few hours ago that it had killed Yahyah Sinwar, the heroic resistance fighter who masterminded and led the historic anti-terrorist anti-genocide operation a year ago. Whether or not the news is true, this is a good time to celebrate the astonishing courage and genius of Sinwar, who will likely go down in history as the man most responsible for the annihilation of genocidal Zionism and the liberation of Palestine.

As Scott Ritter famously wrote, Sinwar’s October 7 operation was “The Most Successful Military Raid of This Century”:

“Hamas effectively neutralized Israel’s vaunted intelligence services, blinding them to the possibility of an attack of this scope and scale.

“When the attack occurred, Hamas was able to strike with precision the very surveillance and communication nodes the IDF relied upon to mobilize a response in case of an attack.

“Hamas defeated those Israeli soldiers stationed along the barrier wall in a stand-up fight. Two battalions of the Golani Brigade were routed, as were elements of other vaunted IDF units.

“Hamas struck the Headquarters of the Gaza Division, the local intelligence hub, and other major command and control facilities with brutal precision, turning what should have been a five-minute response time into many hours—more than enough time for Hamas to carry out one of its primary objectives—the taking of hostages. This they did with extreme proficiency, returning to Gaza with more than 230 Israeli soldiers and civilians.”

After the heroic Hamas raid, the Zionist genocidaires were faced with a tough choice: Admit the truth, negotiate for hostages, and accept a symbolic defeat that could usher in peace based on Zionist withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders as per all UN resolutions representing the global consensus; or lie outrageously and kick-start a war that the Zionists can’t win. For political reasons, Netanyahu chose the latter option, setting in motion a chain of events that will inevitably lead to the delegitimization and annihilation of “Israel.” Thanks to Netanyahu’s ego, Sinwar’s ultimate victory is all but assured.

Though Ritter got almost everything right, he did make one mistake: echoing the lying Zionist propaganda claim that Hamas took civilian (as opposed to military) hostages. It did not. Groups of angry Palestinians who took advantage of Hamas’s concentration camp breakout did take civilian hostages, but those hostage-takers were unaffiliated with Hamas. Actual Hamas soldiers were under strict orders not to harm civilians or take civilian hostages, and they faithfully obeyed those orders. This has been confirmed by “the dog that didn’t bark”—the thousands of hours of headcam and bodycam footage found by “Israel” on dead or wounded Hamas fighters. Despite possessing that footage for more than a year, the Zionists have yet to document a single Hamas fighter committing even a single war crime.

For more details, read the interview below. Note that the [[[Western media]]] has had all of this information for more than a year but has chosen to suppress it.

-Kevin Barrett

Times of Israel. Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated by Israel in Beirut on January 2, 2024.

Source : Al-Jazeera

Translation : resistancenews.com

Journalist: Mr. Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, welcome. The current situation in the Gaza Strip is dire because of Israel’s scorched earth tactics, as the whole world can see. How does Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, view the future of this battle?

Saleh al-Arouri: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

First, we offer our condolences to the families of the martyrs and to all those impacted by Zionist crimes. We ask God to grant His mercy upon them, heal the wounded, and bring victory and freedom to our people, by His grace.

This battle is merely one phase in our people’s long-standing struggle against the occupation, which began from the very first day. Our people have never stopped resisting this criminal and aggressive project, built on the ruins of our villages, cities, homes, futures, aspirations, and hopes.

This battle is, therefore, a decisive step towards liberating our people and forcing the world to recognize our rights and the legitimacy of our demands: to live freely in an independent and sovereign state on our national land, free from oppression, siege, aggression, or the desecration of our holy sites. For us, this battle can only end in one way: victory over this aggression, and complete freedom for our people, God willing.

Journalist: What is your reaction to the United States’ position, particularly in light of recent statements and the visit of the US Secretary of State to Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders?

Saleh al-Arouri: The American and Western positions are a continuation of their original crime: creating this colonial entity on the ruins of our people, seizing our land and our right to life, and giving it to foreign settlers from all over the world. They committed the first crime, and today they feel obliged to continue protecting this entity in a brutal, arrogant, hypocritical, and criminal manner.

It is astounding to hear Americans and Westerners accuse us of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, and label us “human beasts.” Yet they ignore the destruction of our people, the deportations that started from the very beginning, and the war that has been waged against us since the establishment of this entity.

The Israeli project has always centered around massacres of civilians. How else could they have displaced an entire people from their villages in 1948, throwing them into exile? From its inception, this state has been based on warfare and crimes against civilians, and the West has covered it up every step of the way.

I am baffled by how Americans lecture us on the ethics of war when they exterminated entire populations in America to take over their land, or when they dropped nuclear bombs on Japanese civilian cities during World War II. And I am shocked by the French, who speak of human values while having massacred Algerians by the millions during their occupation.

Fascism, Nazism, religious and sectarian wars, Communism, and Stalinism are not products of the Middle East, but of the West. All of the criminal ideologies in human history stem from the West. Our region, by contrast, has always been pluralistic, a cradle for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where peaceful coexistence has prevailed throughout history.

Jews have never faced genocide in our region, as such acts are foreign to our culture and civilization. To label us as criminals or Nazis who exterminate women and children is a complete inversion of reality. It is the Israelis of today, shaped by Western civilization and supported by their Western allies, who are carrying forward the tradition of genocide, not us.

In this interview with Al-Jazeera, I wish to address the accusations directed at us, particularly Hamas, in light of the most recent, honorable battle waged by the Al-Qassam Brigades. We are accused of massacring civilians. Netanyahu and Blinken went so far, in their recent press conference, as to speak of women being raped, children being burned, and civilians being killed en masse. I would like to present our official version of these events, on behalf of the Hamas leadership, regarding the attack on the Gaza Division by Al-Qassam.

Journalist: Mr. Saleh al-Arouri, what is Hamas’s official stance on these events?

Saleh al-Arouri: Hamas’s position is unequivocal: we do not target civilians—this is not part of our ideology, leadership, or policy. We do not target civilians. However, during conflict, civilian casualties may occur, but this is an unavoidable consequence of open confrontation. Meanwhile, Israel bombards Gaza with hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs and shells, targeting residential buildings and their inhabitants—actions that are on a vastly different scale. It is natural for the enemy to expect civilian casualties.

Regarding the operation on Saturday morning, it was well-organized and highly disciplined. The directives from the Al-Qassam Brigades were clear: the goal was to strike the Gaza Division, the military unit stationed in the Gaza Envelope that has been responsible for crimes against our people—enforcing the blockade, carrying out bombardments, orchestrating assassinations, and leading incursions. We launched a preemptive operation because we knew they were preparing for a ground assault against us following their holiday (Yom Kippur). Hence, we initiated this preventive operation against the Gaza Division.

According to our plans, the fighters were to advance towards the Gaza Division, attacking all of its outposts, ultimately reaching the division’s command center, and then proceeding to the military airport beyond. Simultaneously, other forces were to head toward the kibbutzim and settlements to secure these areas and prevent additional forces from intervening in the battle with the Gaza Division.

The surprising element was that this so-called formidable army, which excels in committing crimes from the air with planes, artillery, and tanks, collapsed much more rapidly than the Al-Qassam leadership had anticipated. We expected the battle to last for several hours, but the entire division crumbled in just three hours—its headquarters were captured, its soldiers either killed, captured, or fled in panic, abandoning their barracks, settlements, and kibbutzim.

The occupation seeks to conceal the shame of its army’s failure to defend its own bases, settlements, and kibbutzim by using criminal violence and spreading false narratives.

Journalist: Have you communicated with any involved parties to clarify your stance?

Saleh al-Arouri: Yes, we have informed the relevant parties. However, I am now presenting this official position publicly, and we will be sending it to all concerned parties. We hope that you will assist in disseminating Hamas’s official stance by all possible means.

I’ll continue to explain what happened. When the Gaza division unexpectedly collapsed, the inhabitants realized that the borders were open and that the army on the outskirts had disintegrated. Several civilians, young people, and armed men entered the area, resulting in some unforeseen chaos during the clashes, allowing people to reach the kibbutzim and settlements. In these kibbutzim and settlements, some security guards, soldiers, and settlers confronted young members of the al-Qassam Brigades, which led to civilian casualties.

I would like to clarify another point: the Israeli army has a procedure called “Hannibal,” which stipulates that if hostages or prisoners are captured by their enemies, the Israeli army has the right to kill these hostages and their captors automatically. This procedure was applied during the operation, and it is possible that young resistance fighters among the Palestinians who entered the scene detained civilians to prevent any interference or disruption and were subsequently attacked by the Israeli army itself, which targeted both Palestinians and Israeli detainees. We know that Palestinians were targeted, resulting in the deaths of both the kidnappers and their captives.

The military plan of the Al-Qassam Brigades was announced by brother Abu Khaled Al-Deif from the very first hour when he made his official statement. He declared that we were going to engage with the Israeli army and issued official instructions to the mujahideen, both before and after they went out, stating, “Don’t kill women, children, or the elderly.” These instructions were recorded. In several videos, including those broadcast by Al Jazeera yesterday, we see Qassam youths escorting an Israeli woman and her children down the road, then continuing on their way, along with many other similar instances. This is the truth: our mujahideen do not target civilians, and it is impossible for them to have committed the crimes that the occupation alleges, such as raping or killing children and civilians. However, the Israeli army collapsed and failed to protect itself and the civilians. Civilians found themselves at the center of clashes in open areas, leading to several civilian casualties.

We do not deny that civilians were killed, but we 100% affirm that attacking or killing civilians was not part of al-Qassam’s plan. Young fighters from the al-Qassam Brigades captured soldiers and brought them back to Gaza. Additionally, there were civilians captured and brought back to Gaza by ordinary Palestinians (who are not affiliated with Hamas). It is not Hamas policy to harm prisoners or civilians. This is our official position: we are a responsible organization, and we act first and foremost according to our religion, which forbids us from harming civilians or their lives. We also respect international laws of war, conducting our resistance to occupation under international legitimacy, which gives us the right to fight this enemy until the world recognizes our right to life and freedom, as it does for every other human being.

Journalist: Statements, indicators, and estimates, particularly from the Israelis, suggest a possible prolongation of this battle. Do you think it could extend beyond the Gaza Strip?

Saleh al-Arouri: All possibilities are 100% open. We have entered this battle with our calculations in all areas. The enemy knows that it has lost the military battle, and this is no longer mere rhetoric. From the very first confrontation between our soldiers and its army, equipped with every kind of weapon, the world has seen that the military battle is in our favor. I’ll tell you something: we entered this battle with around 1,200 Qassam youth, and in less than three hours, these 1,200 individuals took control of the entire Gaza division (which comprises troops 5 to 10 times their number).

Now the enemy is talking about invading Gaza, but it knows that this is impossible and that such an action would turn the war into a total disaster for its army and for itself. That’s why I say this unprecedented criminality—cutting off electricity, water, and food, closing all crossing points, and targeting every location in Gaza—civilian neighborhoods, mosques, hospitals, ambulances—is primarily aimed at erasing the stigma of shame that marked them in this battle, which revealed to the world the true nature of this entity and its reality. It showed our Arab-Muslim nation and the countries of the region, which have coexisted with this entity for 70 years, that the notion of this army’s end entity’s invincibility is nothing but a deceptive illusion.

That is why they are trying to turn this page, but it will not turn.

Journalist: Very well, Mr. Saleh al-Arouri. At this point, many questions have been directed at you, particularly regarding the news and preparations on the Gaza border, which mention major security reinforcements. This seems to indicate that the occupation may be planning a large-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. How are Hamas and the Palestinian resistance preparing for this scenario?

Saleh al-Arouri: I assure you and all our viewers that even before the Mujahedeen launched the attack on the Gaza division, the entire defense plan was ready. Every element of our defensive strategy for Gaza was in place. The fact that the Mujahideen were able to seize the Gaza division in a matter of hours indicates that our defensive plan is even more robust than our offensive plan, and the occupation is well aware of this. I’m not revealing anything new here.

I say this now to our Arab and Islamic people, especially the Palestinian people: the resistance’s military structure remains intact despite the occupation’s strikes, which primarily target civilian infrastructure. The military structure is still operational, as is our defense plan. We have already begun implementing the second phase of our strategy. In response to the attacks on civilians, the Al-Qassam brigades have ordered the evacuation of certain nearby Israeli areas, such as Ashkelon two days ago, and we will continue to strike this town until it is evacuated. Similarly, the settlement of Sderot has also been evacuated by the decision of the occupation authorities. We have plans in place in response to the enemy’s actions.

The enemy believes it can break our resistance by escalating its crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, where it is also committing atrocious acts. For example, yesterday, settlers attacked the village of Qusra, killing three inhabitants and wounding many others. Today, during the funeral for these martyrs, settlers again attacked the procession, resulting in more civilian casualties. They commit crimes against our people everywhere.

We are in Gaza, and with God’s grace, we will fight throughout Palestine. Gaza has already surprised you with a strike that disoriented you and caused you to lose command and control. Our people and our Arab-Muslim nation will surprise you again in every place, with God’s grace. We are not fighting in vain or to commit genocide, but to have this world and this entity recognize our right to live like all other peoples. This is not an exaggerated demand.

Journalist: You assert that the defensive plan is stronger than the offensive plan, but given the bombing of civilians and the suffering in the Gaza Strip that everyone is currently witnessing, how much pressure does this place on you?

Saleh al-Arouri: As Al-Jazeera clearly shows, the occupation does not target military infrastructure but rather everything else, primarily civilians, because it fails to strike our military capabilities. Our military structure is intact and prepared. The occupation, equipped with planes, tanks, artillery, and intelligence, should be condemned by the entire world for these strikes that directly target civilians. Yet the West applauds, conceals, and supports this criminal entity, providing it with aircraft carriers, munitions, drones, and both financial and moral support.

But we, as Hamas and the Palestinian people and resistance movement, call on the peoples of our (Arab-Muslim) Nation to stand with Palestine and Al-Quds (Jerusalem), to support our rights as an Arab and Islamic people in Palestine. Tomorrow, Friday, O our Arab and Muslim community, O all the free people of the world, let your message be louder than American aircraft carriers: take to the streets and show your support for Palestine and Al-Quds.

Journalist: The Hamas movement is renewing its call for popular mobilization, as it did in the last phase.

Saleh al-Arouri: Yes, we reiterate our call to the entire (Muslim) Nation: your support for Palestine and Al-Quds is more important than American aircraft carriers. Every action counts and must not be underestimated. When the world sees that an entire Nation, from Mauritania to Bangladesh, supports Palestine, Al-Quds, and the rights of its people to this land, it sends a powerful message. The Palestinian people deserve freedom, just like any other people, and should not be regarded as “human animals,” as the criminal Zionist Defence Minister Gallant dared to say. Tomorrow is the day for you to help Palestine. We rely more on the people than on official organizations, although we appreciate any efforts they may make. But it is primarily to our (Muslim) Nation and our Palestinian people, both inside and outside Palestine, that we appeal for support for our cause.

Journalist: Regarding the hostage issue, Israel has tried in recent days to convey a sense of indifference or lack of interest in the matter. Is there any news on this subject?

Saleh al-Arouri: I swear by God, it seems to me that Israel is determined to kill them to eliminate the issue. Their policy is to eliminate prisoners, as has happened in some of their operations where detainees have been killed alongside their captors. These are not kidnappings or hostages; rather, they are military operations during which prisoners were captured. We hear about American and French prisoners, but why should a soldier in an Israeli uniform, armed and fighting against us, be considered a Frenchman or an American? The United States is asking us for their prisoners back. They call us “ISIS,” but the real ideology of ISIS is what we hear from France, the United States, Canada, and many others, namely defending people in military uniforms against a people fighting for their freedom. These are the real crimes, they are the true murderers.

We said we would address the issue of prisoners after the battle. There are 6,000 or 7,000 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails, some held for over 40 years, but the world doesn’t react at all. This Western world does not declare that it is impossible to keep someone in prison for 46 years. They don’t even bat an eye. Yet, as soon as a fighting Israeli soldier is captured on a military base, the entire world is outraged, invoking their right to freedom. Our right to freedom takes precedence over their right to freedom.

Journalist: What are the chances of establishing a humanitarian corridor at this stage? Please answer briefly.

Saleh al-Arouri: We call for an end to this aggression. There are indeed calls for this. I am aware of the regional contacts between the leaders of the region, notably with Egypt, which is advocating for the opening of a humanitarian corridor. This seems to be a direct consequence of the fact that the world cannot stand by helplessly as two million people are burned by all kinds of weapons while being deprived of electricity, water, and the essentials of life.

Journalist: Thank you very much.

https://www.unz.com/kbarrett/yahyah-sinwar-anti-terrorist-hero/

AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY BY GUS, IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT ISRAEL LET THE EVENT OF OCTOBER 7 UNFOLD TO GIVE NETANYAHU A REASON TO DESTROY GAZA AND PROMOTE THE "GREATER ISRAEL" CONCEPT... SEE: 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.