Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has continued his rhetoric against Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), stressing on Tuesday that the weapons held by the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, would continue to serve as the spearhead in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.
In a meeting with representatives of labour unions on behalf of the Palestinian Arab organisations, Sinwar said that “the Palestinian people are still at the stage of national liberation and cannot give up their weapons.”
He added that the decision on national reconciliation was made by a consensus of Hamas leaders inside and outside Palestine, and stressed that the movement was serious about its intentions regarding the reconciliation agreement with Fatah.
Sinwar explained that Hamas could not allow the continuation of the split with Fatah because it is a huge and strategic problem for the Palestinian national enterprise.
In a message to Israel, Sinwar said, “If the enemy (Israel) is thinking of foiling the reconciliation, it will be taught a lesson so that it will not intervene in our internal affairs…We will not recognise and cannot recognise Israel and the conditions of the occupation are unacceptable.”
He then sent a threatening message about Hamas’s military capabilities, saying, “We can strike Israel for a period of 51 minutes at the same level that we attacked Tel Aviv for 51 days.”
Under te reconciliation signed between Fatah and Hamas, the PA is to resume full control of Hamas-controlled Gaza by December 1.
