On Al-Aqsa Flood 2nd anniv., Islamic Jihad vows ‘no retreat until Israel’s demise,’ hails Iran’s support

“We have prepared ourselves for a long war of attrition that will not stop and will not retreat except with its (the Israeli regime’s) demise,” al-Quds Brigades said in a statement on Tuesday.

It pledged unfaltering resistance until the liberation of the entirety of Palestinian territories, including the holy city of al-Quds, from Israeli occupation.

The armed wing described the October 7, 2023 operation that saw the Gaza Strip’s resistance fighters storm the occupied Palestinian territories, encircle Israeli bases, and ensnare hundreds of Zionists, as a turning point in the history of Palestinian struggle.

It paid tribute to the many fighters, who had sacrificed their lives, towards realization of the operation’s victory.

The brigades went on to denounce the subsequent war of genocide that the regime waged and continues to stage against Gaza as a “mad and deadly war of mass killing” targeting civilians, mostly “children, women, and the elderly.”

The brutal assault, they added, has exposed “Zionist Nazism and injustice” and unleashed “the worst holocaust and tragedy of all time” against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Nevertheless, the warfare has failed to break the “will of our steadfast people”

According to the statement, resistance fighters have managed to triumphantly prevent the regime from achieving any of its declared objectives, including complete occupation of the coastal sliver, expulsion of its residents, and defeating Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement.

Resistance fighters, the statement continued, stood up to the genocide, despite its marking “the longest battle since the establishment of the temporary entity,” and despite their limited means.

The statement predicted that the failure streak would continue, including with the defeat of the regime’s so-called “Gideon’s Chariots 2” assault on Gaza City, the Gaza Strip’s largest urban area, which seeks to occupy the city.

The resistance’s weapons would remain unsheathed until liberation is achieved, it asserted.

Meanwhile, al-Quds Brigades expressed gratitude towards the Islamic Republic for its historic support for the Palestinian cause, including during Al-Aqsa Flood and its aftermath.

The armed wing commemorated the Iranian people, who were martyred as a result of an illegal and imposed war by the regime and the United States in June.

Among the victims, it made special reference to Brigadier General Mohammad Saeed Izadi, former head of the Palestine unit of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force.

The statement described the victim, who used to be affectionately known as Haj Ramezan, as “the martyr of Palestine.”

The fighters also voiced appreciation of their fellow regional resistance forces’ solidarity strikes targeting the regime throughout the genocide.

Elsewhere in the statement, they vowed not to release the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza except through an honorable exchange deal tied to ending the war.

They noted how the resistance had sought to end the war and lift the siege on Gaza, showing “all necessary flexibility” towards a deal conditioned on halting the aggression.

They, however, denounced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet for continuing the war “to achieve the goals of its extremist coalition.”

The statement vowed that Palestinian factions would keep seeking a path to end the war and alleviate civilian suffering.