Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad Nakhalah has said that Israel failed to achieve its stated goals in the Gaza war as a four-day truce took effect in the besieged territory after seven weeks of massacres.
The truce took effect at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday after a night of intense Israeli bombardment. It stipulates the release of Israelis held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“Had it not been for the losses on the battlefield, the Zionist regime would not have agreed to the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners,” Nakhalah said in a televised address.
He said the resistance will “force the Zionist enemy to exchange all the prisoners on a wider scale”.
“The rest of the enemy’s prisoners including officers and soldiers will not be released without the release of the rest of our prisoners, and this issue is related to the end of the war and aggression.”
Nakhala said the resistance front will continue fighting and prevent the enemy from reaching its objectives.
“The enemy’s goals of ending the resistance and crushing it still in place, so we must continue the battle to neutralize the enemy’s goals. The Zionist enemy will continue its aggression more brutally.”
Nakhalah said Operation al-Aqsa Storm on Oct. 7 has caused an earthquake within the Israeli regime and shed light on the Western support for Israel.
He thanked resistance groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen for courageously supporting Palestinians. Nakhalah underlined that those who speak of governing Gaza should think of protecting their own people instead.
In Khan Younis town in southern Gaza, housing thousands of families displaced from the north, streets filled with people venturing out of home and shelters.
“We are full of hope, optimism, and pride in our resistance. We are proud of our achievements, despite the pain this caused,” Reuterresident Khaled Abu Anzah told Reuters.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in response to Tel Aviv’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.
Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 14,854 Palestinians, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women, have been killed and over 36,000 others injured in the Israeli strikes.
Some 207 health workers and 65 Palestinians were among those killed. That’s while 7,000 Palestinians are still missing.
According to the report, 60 percent of homes in Gaza have either been destroyed or damaged due to the aggression.
Source: Press TV
