Sun Sep 15 14:44:00 UTC 2024: ## Hamas Insists on Continued Resistance Despite Gaza War Losses
**Istanbul:** A senior Hamas official has declared that the Palestinian militant group possesses the resources and will to continue fighting Israel despite substantial losses sustained over the past 11 months of conflict in Gaza.
Osama Hamdan, speaking to AFP in Istanbul, emphasized the group’s “high ability to continue” the resistance, citing the recruitment of new generations and the accumulation of battle experience. He downplayed the heavy casualties suffered, stating that they were “much less than what is expected in a battle of this size.”
Hamdan’s comments come in direct contrast to statements by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who last week declared that Hamas “no longer exists as a military formation in Gaza.”
Despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, Hamdan accused the US of failing to adequately press Israel for concessions. He claimed the American administration is “trying to justify the Israeli side’s evasion of any commitment.”
The war has also drawn in other Iran-backed groups in the region, including Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen, who recently launched a missile attack on central Israel. Hamdan viewed this attack as a demonstration of Israel’s vulnerabilities, stating, “It is a message to the entire region that Israel is not an immune entity. Even Israeli capabilities have limits.”
Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi corridor, and envisions a joint Palestinian rule in Gaza, as confirmed by Hamdan. He emphasized the group’s commitment to fighting for the liberation of Palestine, stating that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “is ready to be martyred thousands of times in Palestine rather than leaving it.”
With the war continuing and the future of Hamas uncertain, negotiations for a ceasefire remain stalled, leaving the region in a precarious state.
First Piper 