Hamas backs Iran and says disarmament is not on the table while Israel continues genocide
Hamas's military spokesman Abu Obaida has delivered a statement backing Iran's strikes on Israel, mourning the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and accusing ceasefire mediators of applying pressure on Palestinian resistance while turning a blind eye to Israeli violations.
Speaking in a video message on Sunday, the Qassam Brigades spokesman described the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran as an extension of the same war being waged on Gaza.
"The heinous crimes committed by the Zionist-American aggression against our brothers in the Islamic Republic remind the world of the genocidal crimes in Gaza," Abu Obaida said.
"We mourn all the righteous martyrs of the Republic and its great leaders, foremost among them the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the great martyr Sayyid Ali Khamenei."
Abu Obaida praised the IRGC's strikes inside Israel, saying the Brigades were following them "with immense pride and admiration," adding that the Iranian military campaign was a direct continuation of the 7 October Al-Aqsa Flood operation that Hamas launched from Gaza.
He also acknowledged an Iranian message of solidarity with the Palestinian people, delivered through a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which dedicated some of its operations to slain Palestinian leaders including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Yahya Sinwar.
Hamas's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, introduced its new spokesman Abu Obaida in December confirmed the death of his predecessor in an Israeli strike on Gaza City in August of last year.
In a prerecorded speech aired on Arab media, the new spokesman revealed that his predecessor, known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, was actually Huthaifa Samir al-Kahlout.
The new spokesperson, whose identity is unknown, is also taking on the same nom de guerre.
Allowing Israel to breach his commitments
On Gaza, Abu Obaida condemned the mediators overseeing the "ceasefire" agreement, accusing them of demanding further Palestinian concessions while allowing Israel to breach its own commitments without consequence.
He rejected calls to disarm Hamas without first holding Israel accountable for its ceasefire violations, warning that any attempt to strip the group of its weapons was an attempt to continue the genocide against the Palestinian people.
"What the enemy is trying to pass today on the Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza through the mediators is extremely dangerous," he said. "What is required is to pressure the entity [Israel] to complete its commitments in the first stage, before talking about the terms of the second stage."
He accused Israel of continuing to target civilians, restricting aid, closing the Rafah crossing to the wounded, and shutting Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers during Ramadan - all while the international community directed its pressure exclusively at Hamas.
Abu Obaida also issued a direct call to arms, urging resistance forces across the Muslim world to make Israel "pay a heavy price" for closing the Al-Aqsa mosque, and calling on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and inside Israel to launch attacks.
He warned Israel that its actions would not go unanswered. "Let the enemy know that touching Al-Aqsa and the prisoners will not pass without consequence, no matter the cost to our people, and it will have repercussions upon the occupation state," he said. "Indeed, it will be an additional detonator for the entire region."
He then turned to Syria addressing the country as "the beating heart of Al-Sham" and the birthplace of the founder of the Qassam Brigades, Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, praising its people for embracing Palestinian refugees for decades and for taking to the streets in solidarity.
Syrians in Damascus took to the streets after Friday prayers, staging pro-Palestine protests against Israel’s latest measures targeting Palestinian held in Israeli jails and the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans condemning Israel’s actions, calling for the liberation of Al-Aqsa and expressing solidarity with Palestinian detainees.
The rally formed part of a wider wave of protests across Syria, as anger grows over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians and its continued wars in the region.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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