Palestinians will never leave Gaza: Hamas chief

Haniyeh made the remarks during a speech on the recent developments in Gaza on Saturday.

“What Israel is doing is with the support of the US and Western countries based on the issue of double standards and lies. The US administration is giving everything it can, all the coverage for this killing,” he said, adding that resistance will not give up the fight for the rights of Palestinians despite the pressure from the West.

Haniyeh stated the Al-Aqsa Storm operation marked “the beginning of the disappearance of the occupation from our land” and that the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip amounts to “war crimes.”

He further criticized the misinformation, with which the media machine amplifies the Israeli regime’s lies, emphasizing that “resistance fighters, unlike the enemy, do not target civilians, children, or elderly people.”

The top Hamas official hailed the protests across the world against the Israeli regime and in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and the resistance movement, calling for popular movements worldwide to continue their support for Palestine.

Haniyeh also stated Palestinians will not leave Gaza or the West Bank to migrate to Egypt, following the Israeli army’s order to evacuate Gaza.

“People of Gaza are deeply rooted in Gaza and they will not leave their homeland,” he stressed.

Israel launched the deadly strikes on the coastal area last Saturday after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement waged a surprise attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying regime.

Hamas announced that its operation came in response to Israel’s violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East al-Quds and growing Israeli settler violence.

The Western governments, in particular the US, the UK, Germany, and France, have offered “steadfast support” to Israel amid the regime’s incessant bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip over the past few days.