Hamas Envoy in Tehran: Resistance Will Persist as Long as Occupation Does
Hamas's Tehran representative says resistance will continue while occupation lasts, and criticises the unfulfilled ceasefire.
Khaled Qaddoumi, Hamas's representative in Iran, told a press conference in Tehran on Monday that armed resistance will remain a central strategy for Palestinians as long as Israeli occupation continues.
"Resistance has one effective and solid tool, namely arms," Qaddoumi said in Farsi. "Violent (armed) resistance is part of resistance for any community under occupation around the world throughout history. As long as the occupying force exists, resistance will exist too, and will use all possible tools, mainly weapons."
Qaddoumi also addressed the ceasefire proposal attributed to former US President Donald Trump, saying Hamas had responded positively because it shared the goal of ending the war and the genocide against the people of Gaza.
"Mr. Trump put forward a proposal based on bringing about a ceasefire and ending the war and genocide against our people in Gaza. It was a good idea, and it reflects a goal we share," he said.
However, he argued that the ceasefire has not been implemented on the ground. "We have had over 1,200 martyrs since October. Is this called a ceasefire? Not at all," Qaddoumi said.
He also questioned the viability of further negotiations, noting that the original proponent of the plan has not been able to pressure Israel into honouring the deal's terms. "How can we Palestinians enter any so-called negotiations while the original owner of the plan, namely Mr. Trump, is not even able to pressure the criminal Israeli side to commit to the provisions of the deal?" he asked.
The press conference was held in Tehran, with flags of Iran, Palestine, and the Society for the Defence of Palestinian Nation displayed behind the podium.