Haniyeh made the remarks in a message addressed to Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, on Monday.
He said Iran is “a solid pillar upon which Palestinian resistance groups, and the Axis of Resistance in general, rest as they continue their primary struggle against the Zionist enemy and US hegemony.”
Haniyeh added that Israeli officials mistakenly believed they would be able to “crush the resistance front and terrorize Palestinian people” through targeted killing of commanders of the al-Quds Brigades – the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
The Hamas chief went on to highlight that the Israeli regime erroneously thought its latest military onslaught on the Gaza Strip would help it get out of its internal crises, and restore the deterrence image of its military forces.
He stressed that the results of the Palestinian retaliatory operation “Revenge of the Free”, however, further exacerbated the regime’s crises.
Haniyeh pointed out that the victory of the Gaza-based resistance factions, particularly the al-Quds Brigades, in the battle was rooted in strength and unity both on the ground and in the field of politics.
He said Qaani’s message to the Palestinian resistance groups during the latest Israeli aerial bombardment campaign against the Gaza Strip expressed the position of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and reflected Iran’s determination to offer unconditional support to the Axis of Resistance.
“Oh leaders of the Joint Operations Room, you have recorded a new epic in the history of the battle, and you have proven once again that you are capable of shattering the [Zionist] enemy’s hegemony and defeating it,” Qaani had written in his message.
He added, “Through cooperation and unity, you were able to pull off another victory and add it up to your long list of triumphs. Such achievements are steady steps on the path towards the final victory.”
The commander of the Quds Force also confirmed that Iran will continue its support for the Palestinian people and resistance factions, and will keep on “beefing up the Axis of Resistance until the complete purge of the Zionist entity from Palestinian land.”
At least 33 Palestinians, including 13 civilians, were killed and 147 others wounded in the latest round of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
