Top Hamas official: Israel will pay heavy price for assassinating Haniyeh

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, says the Zionist regime will pay a heavy price for the crime of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh.

He said on Wednesday the late Hamas chief devoted himself full-time to Islam and the Palestinian nation, and that Hamas will not give up resisting the Israeli occupation after Haniyeh’s murder.

“Haniyeh was not hiding in a secret place and his assassination does not constitute a success for the Israeli enemy's spy service. Ever since the Gaza war broke out [in early October last year], the enemy had sought to isolate the resistance front. It was, nevertheless, astonished to see Haniyeh shuttling between world capitals. The enemy has not achieved any success. It only kills, destroys and seeks to ignite the entire region,” Hayya said.

The high-profile Hamas official also stated that Israel is well aware of the fact that the Axis of Resistance will not allow the assassination of Haniyeh to go unanswered.

“The Zionist regime will pay a heavy price for the crime. Hamas and other resistance groups follow a clear strategy.”

“The Zionist enemy is trying to set the entire region ablaze as an act of projection. The Zionist regime must pay a heavy price for this barbaric crime. Hamas and resistance will continue, and Haniyeh’s successor will follow his path,” Hayya said.

He underlined that Haniyeh’s killing clearly showed that there is no option other than resistance in dealing with Israel.

“The al-Qassam Brigades will not allow the murder of Haniyeh to go unpunished. Palestinian factions must unite on the option of armed resistance. There is no other choice before us,” Hayya stated.

‘Haniyeh martyred while leading Palestinians toward liberation’

Meanwhile, Osama Hamdan, the senior Hamas representative in Lebanon, said Haniyeh was assassinated while leading the Palestinian nation towards Liberation, and directing the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Zionist enemy.

“We mourn the loss of our national icon Ismail Haniyeh, who attained martyrdom while fighting on the path of struggle and striving for the liberation of the holy city of al-Quds and entire Palestinian territories,” Hamdan said.

“Our blood as resistance figures is not more precious than that of other Palestinians. The resistance front has expanded its capabilities and prowess whenever our leaders have got killed.”

Iran’s attorney general orders swift probe into Haniyeh’s assassination

Mohammad Movahedi Azad has instructed the appointment of a special investigation team in that regard.

The top Hamas official underscored that Haniyeh’s killing will not stop Palestinians from following the path of resistance and struggle aimed at liberation of Palestinian lands.

“The crime of Haniyeh’s assassination will not ensure the occupying regime’s survival. The best policy in the wake of the late leader’s targeted killing is to cement national unity and work towards its realization,” Hamdan said.

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