Prisoner swap shows Israel has failed to annihilate Qassam
“Scenes of the prisoner exchange showed that the occupiers have been defeated in the war, and the annihilation of al-Qassam has become an illusion”, the Hamas official said on Saturday in reference to the 15-month-old war on Gaza, which Israel launched on October 7, 2023, with the stated goal of destroying Hamas whose military wing launched the unprecedented Al Aqsa Storm Operation on Israeli positions earlier that day.
The prisoner exchange also sent the message that the martyrdom of al-Qassam commanders has strengthened the group, Abu Zhuri further said, referring to the killing of the Palestinian military commanders, including senior ones, during the Gaza war.
He made the comments hours after Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Resistance Movement carried out the fourth prisoner exchange under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19 and paused brutal Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three prisoners held by Hamas.
The Resistance movement said in a statement that the large crowd of Palestinians attending the exchange ceremony was tantamount to a “real referendum” deeming Resistance as the path to liberation of Palestine and its sanctities.
The transfer of Israeli prisoners in front of a platform painted by images of Resistance commanders shows the loyalty of al-Qassam members, sending the message that they will continue fighting against the Israeli regime, Hamas further said in its statement.
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