A timeline of Ismail Haniyeh's statements on resistance since Op. Al-Aqsa Storm

By Ivan Kesic

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched an unprecedented military operation against the occupying Israeli regime on October 7, 2023, killing many Israeli soldiers and taking others as captives.

It marked a watershed moment in the history of the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation and apartheid, which tipped the scales in favor of the resistance after decades of colonization.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, played a key role in the aftermath of the surprise military operation by raising awareness about the Israeli settler-colonialism and years of horrendous crimes against Palestinians, which warranted a response as strong as the October 7 operation.

Here is the timeline of his statements since the events of October 7, 2023:

October 7, 2023:

• We are on the verge of a great victory and a clear conquest on the Gaza front. The battle has now moved into the heart of the "Zionist entity."
   
• Enough is enough, the cycle of intifadas (uprisings) and revolutions in the battle to liberate our (Palestinian) land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons must be completed.
   
• The resistance has already warned that it will not remain silent in the face of what is happening in al-Quds and the al-Aqsa Mosque, even if the entire world keeps silent on these insults and adversarial intentions.
   
• We say to all countries, including our Arab brothers, that this entity, which cannot protect itself in the face of resistors, cannot provide you with any security.
   
• All the normalization agreements that you (some Arab states) have signed with that (Zionist) entity cannot resolve this (Palestinian) crisis.

October 14, 2023:

• The US-backed Zionist project will fail as the path of resistance will continue.
   
• What Israel is doing is with the support of the US and Western countries based on the issue of double standards and lies. The US administration is giving everything it can (to Israel).
   
• The Al-Aqsa Storm operation marked the beginning of the disappearance of the occupation of our land and the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip amounts to a war crime.
   
•  The resistance fighters, unlike the enemy, do not target civilians, children, or elderly people.
   
• Palestinians will not leave Gaza or the West Bank to migrate to Egypt. The people of Gaza are deeply rooted in Gaza and they will not leave their homeland.

October 31, 2023:

• The Palestinian resistance is at the peak of its strength and capabilities. Therefore, instead of engaging with the resistance forces, the occupying regime continues to target Palestinian civilians.
   
• The amount of explosives used against the residents and residential areas of Gaza exceeds the volume of the atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima.

November 1, 2023:

• The Israeli regime is committing barbaric massacres against unarmed civilians. This villainy will not save them from the resounding defeat (at the hands of the resistance).
  
  Israeli captives held in the besieged Gaza Strip are subject to the same death and destruction that Palestinians have been facing (at the hands of the occupation forces).
  
  Palestinians have defeated the Zionist project to bring about a new Nakba (Catastrophe) and mass displacement.
  
  Ahead of the October 7 resistance operation, Hamas had warned that Netanyahu and his fascist cabinet would continue their contentious policies (viz a viz Palestine).

November 4, 2023:

• The occupying regime has the carte blanche (from the US and its allies) for its vicious attacks on Palestinians in the besieged coastal sliver (Gaza).
  
  White House has given the green light to the Zionist regime to press ahead with its atrocities.
  
  The massacres being committed by the Zionist regime are a clear manifestation of the quagmire that the occupying regime and its ground forces are bogged down in.
  
  The international community must perform its “humane, moral and political duties and stop the Zionist regime’s war crimes."

November 17, 2023:

• The resistance front is fighting an honorable battle in defense of Palestinians and their sanctities. These resistance fighters will eventually emerge triumphant in the Gaza war.
   
• If the Zionist enemy desires a long battle, our capacity is much higher than its, and our resistance fighters will act decisively in this regard. The resistance is engaged in a strategic conflict with the Zionist enemy and will be the sole party emerging victorious out of the Gaza war.
   
• The heroes of the (Palestinian) resistance are delivering painful blows to the Israeli enemy's forces and its armored vehicles (in the Gaza Strip).
   
• The world will witness that members of al-Qassam Brigades and other resistance factions will finally defeat the Israeli occupation in Gaza, as they did 18 years ago (in 2005).
   
• The residents of Gaza and resistance groups have managed to thwart the Israeli enemy’s goals and plans for mass displacement of Gazans and forcible release of their captives.
   
• We demand an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, removal of the siege on Gaza, protection of sanctities, realization of our nation’s aspirations for freedom, return of refugees and independence.

November 21, 2023:

• The Palestinian resistance movement is nearing a truce agreement with the Israeli regime, and any ceasefire deal must be on the terms of Palestinian resistance.
   
• Hamas had delivered its response to Qatari officials (on the ceasefire proposal).

November 24, 2023:

• We express gratitude for the firm support of the Leader (of the Islamic Revolution), the president, the government and the people of Iran, as well as the active diplomatic support of the Iranian FM for the Palestinian issue and its people, especially during the ongoing Israeli war against Gaza.
   
• We also acknowledge the “honorable" support of the resistance movements in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria to their brothers and sisters in Gaza, which bears a clear message to the Zionist regime and the US.
   
• The United States is the "main axis" of the Israeli war on Gaza.
   
• Despite the initial opposition to the ceasefire, the United States, understanding the realities of the battlefield, was finally forced to surrender to the will of the Palestinian people and the will of the world nations and the positive vote of 120 countries to the resolution of the UN General Assembly for a ceasefire with Hamas, which shows the US dominance over the international order has diminished.
   
• This is a political victory (UNGA vote) that was achieved based on the victory of the resistance in the field and the enemy failed in achieving its goals except for the killing of women and children and citizens and destroying their houses.

December 13, 2023:

• We are certain that the Israeli aggression will end and the resistance will remain faithful to the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations and will continue to guard Gaza.
   
• Palestinian fighters are steadfast on the ground and are inflicting heavy losses on Israeli soldiers.
   
• The October 7 operation by Hamas was a success that dealt a heavy blow to the occupying Israel and shook the regime’s military and political command.
   
• Hamas is open to any initiative to help stop Israeli aggression and to restore the rights of the Palestinian people to form an independent state.
   
• Any arrangement for Gaza after the war ends that does not include Hamas as well as other Palestinian factions is an illusion.
   
• We call on the Arab and Muslim governments to show their firm support for Palestinians and to use all means at their disposal to bring the Israeli onslaught to a halt.

December 20, 2023:

• The Zionist regime and its allies thought that they could eliminate the resistance this way and force it to raise the white flag.
   
• The resistance, however, stands firm and steadfast on the battlefield and has inflicted heavy damage on the Zionist regime after 75 days of Israeli crimes and mass murders as part of its scorched-earth policy.
   
• The Palestinian nation continues on the path of resistance even though Israel has killed and injured tens of thousands of people in Gaza, destroyed hundreds of houses, attacked hospitals and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory.

January 3, 2024:

• Israel will be held responsible for the assassination of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri. It is a complete act of terrorism and a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty.
   
• We mourn the martyrdom of the fighting leader and great national figure, Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri, as well as Al-Qassam commanders Samir Fandi and Azzam Al-Aqra', and a group of martyrs, following a cowardly Zionist operation in Beirut.
   
• The Zionist occupation's assassination of leader Al-Arouri and his brothers is a complete act of terrorism and a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, expanding the scope of its aggression on our people and our nation. The Nazi-Zionist occupation bears responsibility for this aggression.
   
• The pure blood of the martyred leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri and his brothers has mingled with the blood of tens of thousands of martyrs of our people in Gaza, the West Bank, and abroad.
   
• A movement that offers its leaders and founders as martyrs for the dignity of our people and nation will never be defeated.
   
• These attacks only strengthen the resolve, resilience, and unwavering determination (of the resistance). This is the history of the resistance and the movement: following the assassination of its leaders, it became even stronger and more determined.

January 9, 2024:

• The Israeli regime has failed to achieve any of its goals after nearly 100 days of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. It has only exposed its bloodthirsty and murderous nature to the entire world after committing all kinds of massacres.
   
• The declared goals of the war on Gaza are to eliminate the Hamas movement, have their captives back and carry out the displacement plan. I tell you that the enemy, despite the destruction and massacres, has failed to achieve any of the goals of the war.
   
• The resistance movement cannot be eliminated because it exists across the homeland and abroad as well as in the conscience of the Muslim Ummah and the world’s free people.
   
• After about 100 days (of war on Gaza), the Israeli regime had failed to release a single captive from Gaza. The only way for the return of the Israeli captives to their homes alive is to release all the Palestinian prisoners (from Israeli jails).
   
• The resistance front in Gaza is “strong, cohesive and promising," and it can fight a long battle against the (Israeli) occupation.

January 30, 2024:

• Hamas remains open to negotiations based on any serious and practical initiatives on a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli prisoners in Gaza with Palestinian inmates held by Israel, as well as a reconstruction process.
   
• The (Hamas) movement received the proposal discussed at the Paris meeting and is in the process of studying it and will respond based on the priority of stopping the brutal aggression on Gaza and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip.
   
• The (Hamas) movement is open to discussing any serious and practical initiatives or ideas that lead to a comprehensive cessation of aggression and ensure the sheltering of our people, who were forcibly displaced due to the occupation's actions and whose homes were destroyed, as well as ideas that facilitate reconstruction of Gaza, lift of the siege, and a serious prisoner exchange process that ensures the freedom of our heroic prisoners and ends their suffering.

On February 17, 2024:

• The Israeli regime is to blame for the lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, as the occupying regime is going on with its relentless bombardments (in Gaza).
   
• The resistance will not be satisfied with anything less than a complete cessation of aggression, the withdrawal of the occupying army from Gaza, and the lifting of the oppressive siege.
   
• Hamas will act responsibly in negotiations and will not ignore the sacrifices and achievements of the resistance. Reaching a prisoner exchange deal under which old prisoners will be released is one of the goals of the negotiations.
   
• The resistance group will use all means to stop the Israeli regime’s bloodshed against the defenseless Palestinian nation.

February 28, 2024:

• The siege of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the siege of Gaza are the same.
   
• Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites must be managed in accordance with international law. Our people will defend their mosques, churches, and holy sites with all forms of resistance.
   
• The rise in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank is part of a comprehensive plan to displace all Palestinians.
   
• It is the duty of the Arab and Islamic nations to take the initiative to break the starvation conspiracy in Gaza.

March 10, 2024:

• There will be no agreement with the Israeli regime before the full cessation of its aggression against the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of its forces.
   
• We do not want an agreement that does not end the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip or ensure the return of our displaced people to their homes, or an agreement that does not guarantee the withdrawal of the Zionist enemy from the Gaza Strip.
   
• We absolutely do not want an agreement that does not address the humanitarian issues of our people, especially in the northern Gaza Strip... where children, the elderly, and women are dying because of hunger imposed by the enemy.
   
• I tell you clearly, responsibly, and impartially that the enemy has so far refrained from giving clear guarantees and commitments, especially with regard to stopping its war of aggression against the Gaza Strip.

March 26, 2024:

• The support (the Islamic Republic of Iran) has provided to the Palestinian cause and the people in Gaza during the ongoing war is praiseworthy.

March 28, 2024:

• The resistance is the sole solution for the Palestinians to get rid of the Israeli regime's vicious acts.

March 29, 2024:

• The Hamas military operation (on October 7, 2023) allowed the voice of the Palestinian people to be heard across the world.
   
• Iran’s support for Palestine raises the morale of the Palestinian resistance fighters.

April 10, 2024:

• I thank Allah for this honor that He bestowed upon us through the martyrdom of my three sons and grandchildren. With this pain and blood, we create hope, a future, and freedom for our people, our cause, and our nation.
   
• My martyred sons attained the honor of the time, the honor of the place, and the honor of the conclusion. My children stayed with our people in the Gaza Strip and did not leave the besieged territory.
   
• Palestinian families in Gaza have paid a heavy price with the blood of their children and loved ones. I have lost nearly 60 members of my family over the past months of Israel’s savagery.
   
• The occupation believes that targeting the sons of leaders will break the resolve of our people. We say to the occupation that this blood will only make us more steadfast in our principles and adherence to our land.
   
• The enemy will not succeed in its goals and the castles will not fall. What the enemy failed to attain through killing, destruction, and genocide, cannot be achieved in the course of negotiations.
   
• The Israeli regime is delusional if it thinks it will make the Palestinians change their position by killing their children.

April 11, 2024:

• Our demands are clear and specific and we will not make concessions on them. The enemy will be delusional if it thinks that targeting my sons, at the climax of the negotiations and before the movement sends its response, will push Hamas to change its position.
   
• Killing their sons would only make Hamas (fighters) more steadfast in their principles and adherence to their land. They would not surrender or compromise no matter how great the sacrifices are.
   
• The regime is conducting a war of ethnic cleansing and genocide on the besieged territory.
   
• There is no doubt that this criminal enemy is driven by the spirit of revenge and the spirit of murder and bloodshed, and it does not observe any standards or laws.

April 12, 2024:

• Israel hasn’t eliminated Hamas and won’t eliminate it, and hasn’t retrieved its captives and won’t retrieve them except through an honorable deal.
   
• The regime failed to force the defiant Gazans to leave their territory.
   
• Hamas is sticking to its conditions and will not engage in any ceasefire deal that will not be implemented. The Israeli assassination of my sons and grandchildren won’t change Hamas’ stance on negotiations.
   
• The Palestinian resistance wants a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip, an unconditioned return of the internally displaced people to their homes there, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the lifting of the siege imposed on the strip, and a serious prisoner exchange deal.
   
• Israel poses a danger to the entire Arab and Muslim region, The regional countries must adopt "a different stance" on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
   
• Israel’s image has been shattered and it has become “unprecedentedly isolated” after its atrocities in Gaza. It is a “spoiled child of the West."

April 21, 2024:

• I call on all brotherly countries, our brothers in Egypt, our brothers in Turkey, our brothers in Qatar as mediators, and the European countries to take action to restrain (Israeli) aggression and prevent the crimes in Rafah, as well as the complete withdrawal (of the Israeli army) from the Gaza Strip and the end of the attacks on Gaza.
   
• If the Zionist enemy enters into Rafah, Palestinian people will not raise the white flag. The resistance fighters in Rafah are ready to defend themselves and resist attacks.
   
• The US position is deceptive, even though it says it does not want civilians to be harmed, this is an attempt at manipulation. All the civilians killed in Gaza, thousands, tens of thousands of martyrs, were killed with US weapons, with US rockets, under US political protection.
   
• What does the US veto of the ceasefire resolution at the UNSC mean? It means that the US is giving full protection and umbrella to the continuation of massacres and murders in Gaza.
   
• The Israeli regime has adopted a strategy based on killing, imposing military and humanitarian blockades as well as destroying Palestinian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, bakeries, pharmacies, and factories.
   
• For over five months, nothing entered Gaza. Hunger was used as a weapon to break the people's will and to pressure them to migrate from north to south.
   
• It is a very difficult situation in terms of both the number of martyrs and wounded, as well as those trapped under the rubble. Every day we discover new mass graves.

June 8, 2024:

• The Israeli regime's increasing use of force against the people of central Gaza will not cause the resistance to accept a ceasefire deal under conditions set by Israel and its ally the US that does not meet the demands of the Palestinians.
   
• If the (Israeli) occupation believes that it can impose its choices on us by force, then it is delusional. Our people will not surrender and the resistance will continue to defend our rights in the face of this criminal enemy.

June 16, 2024:

• The untiring perseverance of Palestinians in the face of Israeli offensives against Gaza is commendable. The signs that the Zionist regime is losing the battle are becoming more evident.
   
• The Eid is being marked in the Gaza Strip, whilst people in the area are fighting off the occupying aggressors on all fronts.
   
• Our brothers and sisters in Gaza are enduring an unprecedented level of misery and suffering… The Zionist enemy will see no reaction other than resilience and patience from our compatriots.
   
• Al-Aqsa Storm Operation was a historic battle with outstanding causes and results. Despite all attempts being made by the occupiers to weaken the capabilities of resistance factions, Palestinian fighters carry on their operations mightily and innovatively.
   
• I salute all branches of the Axis of Resistance and extend my gratitude to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement as well as Yemeni Ansarullah fighters for their operations in the Red Sea. I also thank resistance groups in Iraq and Syria for their support of Palestinians.
   
• The resistance front is serious and flexible about ceasefire talks, but any agreement must be comprehensive, lead to the full withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, and include arrangements for a prisoner swap. These provisions must be clearly stated in any truce agreement.

July 18, 2024:

• The leadership viewed that, in light of the Knesset's declared position rejecting the Palestinian people's right to establish their independent state, the national collective is required today to take a unified stance to confront these attempts to erase the Palestinian cause.

July 28, 2024:

• August 3 will be marked as "a national and international day in support of Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails."
• We call for massive participation in marches and demonstrations to demand a halt to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and an end to the abuse of heroic Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
• Israeli prisons are "Israel's Guantanamo," where Palestinian abductees are subjected to various kinds of maltreatment and torture, including psychological and physical torture, slow killing, deprivation of treatment, food and medicine, and field executions.

July 30, 2024:

• Palestinian people and resistance fighters must establish their heroism and victory against Israel as the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza has reached a critical and historical stage after 300 days.
   
• Palestinian resistance today stands on the front line against Western hegemony. The enemy seeks to dismantle this front line to impose its policies and dominate the region, aiming to bring the resistance to its knees.
   
• This underscores the critical strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in supporting resistance and countering the influence of regional representations of arrogance, notably the Zionist regime.

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