Hamas says armed struggle only way to confront 'Zionist enemy'

A top official of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, says the movement believes that armed struggle is still the sole way of confronting the “Zionist enemy” while condemning recent moves by certain Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel.

According to Press TV, the announcement was made by Naseem Yassin in a Sunday event during which the movement announced that it was canceling a ceremony planned to mark its 33rd establishment anniversary in the light of the ongoing pandemic of the deadly new coronavirus.

“Today, we recall the Founder [of Hamas] martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who despite his suffering presented a patriotic model in sacrifice and working for the unity of Palestinians and armed struggle for Palestine,” he added, as quoted by the Palestinian Information Center.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the Founder of Hamas, was assassinated along with a number of his guards on March 22, 2004, when an Israeli aircraft targeted them with Hellfire missiles as the 67-year-old leader was being wheeled out of an early morning prayer session held at a mosque close to his house in Gaza City.

The Hamas official further stated that the 33rd anniversary of Hamas comes at a time that the Palestinian cause is going through great challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic has also compounded the problems facing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering from an immoral Israeli-imposed blockade from land, air, and sea since 2007.

The crippling blockade has caused a sharp decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty in the densely-populated enclave.

Yassin added that Hamas still believes that armed struggle is the only feasible means of confronting the “Zionist enemy,” while negotiations, normalization, and security coordination [with Israel] are mere illusions.

His remarks come as four Arab countries – namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and quite recently Morocco – reached much-condemned US-brokered agreements with Israel on the normalization of relations.

Yassin also called on all Palestinians to strengthen the sense of solidarity throughout the Palestinian nation and to launch charitable initiatives to enhance the steadfastness of Palestinians in the face of all challenges and threats posed by the Tel Aviv regime.

ME