Gaza, MINA – Senior Hamas official Suhail al-Hindi said on Wednesday that the weapons of the Palestinian resistance are a collective national decision and will remain as long as Israeli occupation continues, rejecting threats by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to disarm the Movement in the Gaza Strip, PIC reported.
Al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, was responding to remarks made by Netanyahu during a press conference on Tuesday, in which he vowed to strip Hamas of its weapons in Gaza “by easy means or by force.”
Netanyahu claimed that Israel is currently focused on disarming Hamas throughout the entire Gaza Strip and insisted this would be achieved “by any means necessary.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher, al-Hindi described Netanyahu’s statements as a “misleading narrative” intended to portray the Israeli occupation army as a “moral and humane force,” a characterization he said is completely detached from reality.
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He stressed that the issue of weapons cannot be separated from the reality of occupation, emphasizing that arms are a purely national matter decided collectively by Palestinian factions and the Palestinian people.
Al-Hindi added that the continued presence of Israeli occupation on Palestinian land makes resistance inevitable. He noted that any remaining weapons, if they exist, fall under the category of personal defensive arms, explaining that such weapons are tools for self-defense rather than offensive use. He said these arms are present in many households, particularly amid the spread of criminal gangs in Gaza, which he accused the occupation of fostering.
In a related context, al-Hindi reaffirmed Hamas’s full commitment to the agreements reached with mediators. He pointed to the handover of the final remains of Israeli soldier Ran Gvili and the provision of information whenever it becomes available.
He said the resistance “does not take pride in holding bodies,” recalling that it previously handed over 20 Israeli soldiers and officers alive, as well as 28 bodies, as part of early efforts to resolve the issue.
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By contrast, al-Hindi accused Israel of failing to uphold its obligations, citing continued killings, the closure of border crossings, and violations of the humanitarian protocol.
According to al-Hindi, since the agreement was signed in October last year, 503 Palestinians have been killed and more than 325 wounded, underscoring what he described as Israel’s ongoing breaches of the understandings reached.
He concluded by stressing that the resistance’s commitment does not signify weakness, insisting that the Palestinian people “will not raise the white flag.”
“We are dignified and honorable people,” al-Hindi said. “We reject defeat and will not submit to this criminal enemy.”[]
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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