Hamas: Gaza embodies Palestinian struggle for freedom

Senior Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, yesterday said the Gaza Strip embodies the Palestinian national struggle for freedom and the right to return and called for national unity and international support to rebuild Gaza and liberate Palestinian lands from the Israeli occupation.

Speaking at a reception held for Palestinian captives freed from the Israeli occupation’s jails as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and who were deported to Egypt, Meshaal said a heavy price was paid by the “blood of thousands of martyrs” to free the prisoners from Israeli prisons.

“You have smelled the fragrance of freedom and its glories, which would not have been achieved without the martyrs’ sacrifices who had given up their lives for the sake of freedom,” he said.

Meshaal offered his condolences to resistance leaders who had been martyred, stressing that their blood will remain a “torch that lights the path to liberation”.

He described the events of 7 October 2023 as “an earthquake that swept the region and raised hope for liberation,” bringing the Palestinian cause back into the forefront of the international arena.

“Gaza embodied all [Palestinian] national symbols, including land, identity, the right of return, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said, noting that the displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in northern Gaza is a step towards achieving the Great Return.

Meshaal called for support for the Gaza Strip in the relief and reconstruction phase, saying “Gaza has made many sacrifices for us, and it is still steadfast, raising the flag and it has not been broken,” calling for strengthening its steadfastness and rebuilding it to return stronger than it was.

He also pointed out that the occupied West Bank, especially Jerusalem, is still a fighting arena as the Israeli occupation continues its aggression in Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm and stressed that the resistance forces will not leave Gaza alone, but will continue to support it, while confronting the aggression in the West Bank.

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