Statement on 18th anniversary of Israeli occupation’s withdrawal from Gaza

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Today marks the 18th anniversary of the Israeli occupation’s withdrawal from the besieged Gaza Strip, a testament to the unwavering determination of the Palestinian resistance and the sacrifices of brave Palestinians.

The Palestinian resistance compelled the then-Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, who had once said, “The fate of Tel Aviv is the fate of Netzarim,” to evacuate his armed forces and dismantle the colonial settlements built on private Palestinian lands in the coastal enclave.

On this anniversary, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement states the following:

First: Hamas salutes the Palestinian heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom against the Israeli occupation and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

Second: The strategy of comprehensive resistance, which led to the Israeli occupation’s withdrawal from Gaza, remains the only way to counter the occupation’s Judaisation and colonial settlement expansion schemes in the occupied West Bank and ultimately liberate occupied Palestine.

Third: The escalating attacks on occupied Jerusalem and West Bank by the Israeli occupation will not confer legitimacy upon the settler colonial occupation entity, nor will its crimes change facts of history.

Fourth: The 17-year-long unjust siege imposed on the Gaza Strip is a stain on those who remained silent and inactive, failing to denounce or put an end to this inhumane blockade.

Fifth: Hamas highly appreciates the efforts exerted by some states and organisations to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and encourages them to continue, promote, and expand their humanitarian projects commensurate with the gravity of the repercussions of the blockade.

Hamas Movement