Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Vigil Honors 'Beloved Martyrs' Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh And Top Hizbullah Commander Fuad Shukr, Orchestrator Of 1983 Beirut Attack Killing 241 U.S. Service Personnel; Speaker Declares: 'From Within The Belly Of The Beast, We Salute The Axis Of Resistance; It Is Either Victory Or Martyrdom; We Welcome Whatever Path The Resistance Chooses To Take In Order To Dismantle The Zionist State'

On August 11, 2024, Al-Awda New York held a vigil in honor of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran. A man whose face was covered with a keffiyeh read a statement drafted by Al-Awda NY. He said: "From within the belly of the beast we salute and honor the axis of resistance […] We welcome whatever path it takes to dismantle the Zionists state." He went on to pray that the souls of the "honorable and beloved martyrs and freedom fighters Ismail Haniyeh and [Hizbullah top military commander] Fuad Shukr rest in peace."

The U.S. Department of Treasury was offering $5 million for information leading to the capture of Shukr for the key role he played in planning and carrying out the 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. service members. Shukr was killed in a July 30 Israeli airstrike.

Following the vigil, participants attended a Salat Al-Ghaib in-absentia funeral prayer service at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge – Masjid Mus'ab Bin Umayr. American lawyer and activist Lamis Deek sent a message honoring Haniyeh that was read at the vigil. According to her website, Deek is a core member and former co-chair of Al-Awda New York as well as a board member of CAIR-New York.

Al-Awda New York Activist: "The resistance has spelled it out explicitly: It is either victory or martyrdom, there is no third option.

"From within the belly of the beast, we salute and honor the axis of resistance as a vanguard of the movement for Palestinian liberation. We welcome whatever path it takes to dismantle the Zionist state and achieve liberation.

"And I will repeat: We welcome whatever path it chooses to dismantle the Zionist state and achieve liberation."

Speaker 1: "Say: Allah Akbar!"

Speaker 2: "Inshallah!"

[...]

Al-Awda New York Activist: "We will continue this fight and resist the forces of Zionist and U.S. imperialism until complete liberation. From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.

[...]

"May the souls of our honorable and beloved martyrs and freedom fighters Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr rest in peace in the highest stages of Heaven."

Crowd: "Amen. Amen."