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Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar thanked Al-Jazeera and Iran for the role they played during the recent round of fighting with Israel. He delivered a "victory speech" that was aired live on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) on May 26, 2021. In his speech, Sinwar said that Al-Jazeera "has been the best pulpit to give the accurate voice to our position." He added that Iran gave Hamas money, weapons, and expertise. Sinwar saluted the "tough men" of Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Acre, the "Triangle" area, the Galilee, and the Negev, who proved that all the attempts to "Israelize them" and any attempts at coexistence have collapsed once and for all. He said that the rockets launched at Israel during the fighting were only a rehearsal or a drill to demonstrate what Hamas will do if they try to harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque again. He warned Israel that it harms Jerusalem or the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Palestinians will attack all Israeli settlements at once.
Sinwar said that even the "heroes" among the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces will attack Israelis at all the junctions and bypass roads. He added that Palestinians living within the 1948 borders of Israel will participate, and a million demonstrators or more will take to the streets and block the roads. He said that he is certain that there will be "at least" 10,000 "martyrdom-seekers" among them, who will carry out stabbing attacks, car-ramming attacks, throw Molotov cocktails, and set forests on fire. Sinwar added that "resistance forces in the region" would be able to crush Israel. Sinwar said that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to take advantage of the rift between the PA and Hamas by transferring all money for aid and reconstruction through the PA, but Hamas will not allow this, adding: "Don't kindle our internal conflict."
Sinwar said that while Hamas supports the "eradication of Israel through armed jihad and struggle," it is willing to reach a relatively long truce with Israel, if it meets certain conditions. Namely, if Israel withdraws from the West Bank, dismantles its settlements, releases Hamas prisoners, removes the siege on Gaza, allows Palestinian refugees to return, permits Palestinian elections in Jerusalem, gives up East Jerusalem, and facilitates the formation of a Palestinian state on part of the land. He said that Hamas is willing to agree to this for the sake of Palestinian unity and in view of "international positions."
Sinwar said that Hamas members were in contact with "their brothers in Lebanon," with Hizbullah, the IRGC, and elsewhere and that had the fighting intensified, these groups would have gotten involved. He quoted Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubeida, saying: "Firing a salvo of 250 rockets on Tel Aviv is easier for us than [drinking water]." Sinwar also recognized the role played by Russia, and said that it should play an even more active and positive role.
Yahya Al-Sinwar: "From the bottom of the heart of everyone in Gaza, we salute the tough men of Haifa, the tough men of Jaffa, the tough men of Lod, the tough men of Ramla, the tough men of Acre, and our men and women in the 'Triangle' area, in the Galilee, and in the Negev, who proved that all the years that have gone by and all the Israelization campaigns – the attempts to turn them into Israeli citizens, rather than Arab-Palestinian citizens – and the so-called coexistence campaigns collapsed once and for all.
[...]
"Allow me to extend a special salutation to Al-Jazeera. From the command center where I was leading our activity, I had the chance to watch Al-Jazeera TV specifically. Maybe this is what left in me a special [impression]. Al-Jazeera has been the best pulpit to give accurate voice to our position and [to display] the occupation's crimes. I am not trying to detract from the other media outlets. The picture was clear and the discrepancy glaring between the pan-Arab and patriotic media that gave voice to the concerns and causes of our nation, and between the lowly media – and I won't name names – that was trying to peddle the enemy's narrative and has become a part of the war against the morale of our people. All hail to you, heroic fedayeen [of Al-Jazeera].
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"All hail to the spirit of the eternal leader, Abu Ammar [Yasser Arafat]. On this occasion, and following this latest round of fighting, I say to him: Rest in peace, oh Abu Ammar! You died trying to strengthen our nation's combat capabilities following the [2002] Karine A affair. Karine A was the famous ship, you all know about it... It was carrying some weapons – Grad rockets, some anti-tank missiles, and some short-range rockets, like 20km and 30km Grad rockets. Arafat was trying to strengthen our people's ability to be steadfast in their confrontation. He turned to bringing in weapons, in order to create some change in the balance of power between the occupation and us. Rest in peace, Abu Ammar, along with all the martyrs, now that the resistance forces of your people, your sons at the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and the other resistance factions, have obtained hundreds of rockets, and not just 20-kilometer-Grad rockets, but hundreds of rockets that in one salvo can crush the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
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"Rest in peace, our martyrs in this last round of fighting. Rest in peace, Abu Emad Bassem Issa, commander of the Gaza Brigade. Rest in peace, distinguished Professor Jamal Zabeda. You could have remained a distinguished professor working for NASA, and the world would have celebrated you, but you insisted on coming to Gaza, and to take part in the development of the rockets that rock the [Zionist] entity.
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"This was just a rehearsal, nothing but a tiny drill of what could happen if they try to harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque once again.
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"I'd like to use this opportunity to warn the Zionist occupation and its leaders: The Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem is where we draw the line. If you want to survive for a while, say away from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. The decision to erase your state is linked to the implementation of your plots at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem. The script is there and the rehearsal has been completed. Gaza will burst with the full force of its resistance, and the West Bank will explode with all its power. Our people will attack all the settlements at once. Our heroes – even from the security forces in the West Bank – will be waiting for you at all the junctions and all the bypass roads.
"They will attack you in all the settlements, all over the West Bank. Our people in the land occupied [in 1948] will rise. A million demonstrators or more will take to the streets and block the roads. I am certain, that in those [1948] occupied lands, there will be at least 10,000 martyrdom-seekers, if the Al-Aqsa Mosque is harmed. Each one of them will pick up a knife to stab [an Israeli], take his car to run over one of them, or throw a Molotov cocktail that will burn your hearts. Or they can take a gallon of fuel to burn down those vast forests. The multitudes of our people and nation will set out, cross the borders, and swarm like a flood to uproot your entity. The resistance forces in the region will also set forth. All the vital forces will crush you with all the power at their disposal, Allah willing. I am certain that the Middle East will look different from what it looks now.
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"They started saying that they destroyed 100 kilometers of Hamas tunnels. I am telling you that the tunnels we have in the Gaza Strip exceed 500 kilometers. Even if their narrative is true, they only destroyed 20% of the tunnels.
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"We, the resistance commanders, pledge that Allah willing, before the end of this year, there will be great improvement in the living and human conditions in the Gaza Strip. Before the end of this year, the problems of the Gaza Strip, which were caused by the siege, the war, and the destruction, will be changed from the way they are. Let the whole world hear this. We will cause total destruction if the problems of Gaza are not resolved. Blinken now wants to take advantage of our internal disagreements, and [he wants] the money for reconstruction to come through the PA, not Hamas, in order to shut down Hamas and strengthen the PA… I'm saying to Blinken and others: Don't play with our internal disagreements. We know how to resolve our problems with one another. Don't think that you can kindle the internal conflict. We will make it easy for anyone who wants to build in Gaza, improve the economic conditions, and revive the economy of Gaza.
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"We will not restrict anyone, and will not ask anyone to give a single penny to Hamas or the Qassam Brigades. Hamas and the Qassam Brigades have their own sources of income, and they do not need to take a cut from the aid and reconstruction money. At this point, there is something that needs to be said. Our complete gratitude is extended to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has spared us and the other Palestinian resistance factions nothing in recent years. They have provided us with money, weapons, and expertise. They have supported us in everything, with the grace of Allah. They deserve huge credit. They weren't with us on the ground, but they were with us through those capabilities, with which we crushed and rocked the enemy.
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"If the occupation abides by [international law], there can be a long-term tahdiya [calm period] – for four or five years, or even more. If there is a possibility for the world to exert pressure on the occupation to withdraw from the West Bank, to dismantle the settlements there, and to withdraw from, let's say, East Jerusalem, to release the prisoners, to stop the siege of Gaza, to allow us to hold our elections in Jerusalem, and to establish our Palestinian state on part of our land – this could definitely lead to a relatively long truce, which will postpone the conflict and create some stability in the region.
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"We support the eradication of Israel through armed Jihad and struggle. This is our doctrine. The occupation must be swept [away] from all our land. But for the sake of a united Palestinian position and common denominators, and in view of the international position, we said that we were ready to go for this option. We don't have a problem with this. If the world's superpowers and international organizations are willing to force the occupation to abide by international laws and resolutions, and we establish our state on our land in the West Bank and Jerusalem, along with the Gaza Strip, and the settlements are dismantled, the prisoners are released, the siege ends, and the refugees return… There is a possibility that this will lead to a relatively long truce or tahdiya. There is no doubt about this.
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"Throughout the war, our brothers in the battlefield and in some special units were in contact with our brothers in Lebanon. There was a high level of coordination. We clarified to our brothers in Lebanon, in Hizbullah, in the IRGC, and elsewhere that we were merely sending a message to the enemy and that this was not a real war. We were certain that had the battle intensified, the resistance would have intervened in an active way on all fronts.
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"Our rocket capabilities are completely fine. This was nothing but a message that we sent. Let me reiterate what [Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman] Abu Ubeida said: Firing a salvo of 250 rockets on Tel Aviv is easier for us than [drinking water].
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"We undoubtedly value the role played by Russia. Russia is an influential and significant international player. It has played a significant role in recent years. It definitely played a role in recent days. We believe that Russia should play an even more active and positive role. Russia can play a very significant role in the Palestinian scene, and with regard to the conflict in the region. We are certain that our coordination with them will be on a high level, in the coming days, Allah willing."
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