Was the PA relieved that Israel killed Hamas leader Sinwar?
Almost no official PA reactions to death of Sinwar. Those who did react hardly mentioned his name:
- Abbas' advisor alluded to Sinwar as "any Palestinian" or "a person"
- PLO did call Sinwar "a great national leader," but immediately limited it saying the PLO is "the sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinians
Local Fatah leaders were more overflowing in their praise, but still focused on the goal to destroy Israel:
- Fatah in Gaza: Sinwar was "a leader and a symbol," we "continue the path of removing the treacherous Zionist enemy that is crouching over our occupied land, from its [Mediterranean] Sea to its [Jordan] River"
- Fatah branch in the West Bank: "The great fighting Jihad fighter Martyr Yahya Sinwar"was the "leader and architect of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle
Hamas itself:
- Hamas: Sinwar was "a great leader" and "Martyr," whose path "was a lofty jihadist path"
- Hamas: "Martyrdom is the loftiest thing that our leaders wish for, and their blood will be a beacon illuminating the path of liberation and a fire burning the aggressors"
When Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip, the official responses from the PA and most of the Palestinian political factions were devoid of the usual praise and glorification of Palestinian arch-terrorist leaders. With Hamas, the chief political rival of the PA/Fatah, and Sinwar far ahead of Mahmoud Abbas in all popularity polls since Oct. 7, perhaps the PA was relieved to see Sinwar dead.
PA Chairman Abbas' advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash did not even mention Sinwar by name when he reacted to the news of his death, but only hinted at Sinwar with insignificant terms like "any Palestinian" and "a person." During the phone interview with Al-Habbash, official PA TV chose to broadcast several images of the dead Sinwar.
WARNING: PA TV broadcast graphic images of Sinwar's body:
Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor, Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "The loss of any Palestinian, whether we agreed with him or disagreed with him, is a great loss for the Palestinian people... Everyone is precious in our eyes and are members of the Palestinian people… Assassinating a person or killing a person cannot stop the Palestinian resistance…If Israel is deluding itself that killing some person could bring about the end of the Palestinian people, it is wrong. In the past Israel already assassinated Martyr Khalil Al-Wazir (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 125), [former PA President] Martyr Yasser Arafat, [Hamas founder] Martyr Ahmed Yassin, and many leaders, [leader of PFLP] Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa , and other prominent leaders in the Palestinian forces. But this did not stop the efficiency of the Palestinian resistance."
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Oct. 17, 2024]
Remarkably, most eulogies mentioned Sinwar without any specific words of honor and hurried on to general statements ensuring that "the resistance will continue."
The Fatah Movement in its official statement merely "announced the death of Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Martyr Yahya Sinwar" and "expressed its condolences," and then it called on Palestinians to "unite" and "continue the struggle" against Israel:
"The Fatah Movement announced the death of Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Martyr Yahya Sinwar.
In a statement from the [Fatah] Commission of Information, Culture, and Ideology, Fatah… called on the masses of our people to cooperate, to help one another, and to unite in this difficult and sensitive stage on the journey of our people, by strengthening the resolve and the struggle against the occupation…
Fatah expressed its sincere condolences to the Palestinian people, Hamas, and the family of the Martyr."[WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 18, 2024]
The PLO, likewise, just noted that Sinwar was "a great national leader," and then utilized the opportunity to emphasize their own importance as "the sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinians, reiterating that Hamas – and Sinwar – is not and was not any such representative:
"The PLO Executive Committee announces to our Palestinian people and all the national action factions the Martyrdom-death of great national leader and Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Yahya Sinwar… the Executive Committee expresses its sincere condolences to the brothers in the Hamas Movement leadership, the Hamas activists, and the family of Martyr Yahya Sinwar (i.e., Hamas leader). [The PLO Executive Committee members] called to continue strengthening our national unity in the framework of our sole legitimate representative, the PLO, so that we will stand as one in order to thwart the Israeli plan to uproot our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from their homeland, to renew the settlement in the Gaza Strip, and to expand the expropriation of lands and destruction of homes throughout the West Bank, and especially Jerusalem."
[WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 18, 2024]
A regular columnist of the official PA daily openly explained the lack of expressions of sorrow over the death of Sinwar in the Gaza Strip as an expression of the anger against Hamas – and Sinwar – for bringing catastrophe on the Gazan civilians:
Headline: "Sinwar went and the war did not, why?"
"We did not notice any significant response to the Martyrdom of [Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Yahya] Sinwar and his passing in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps the people are in such distress, wretched, tired, and desperate people, who no longer cared about an event like this, which was covered by the entire world."[Excerpt of a column by Bassem Barhoum, regular columnist for
the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida website, Oct. 22, 2024]
In a later column, Barhoum was more explicit in his criticism of Hamas. Although he termed Sinwar a "hero," he blamed Hamas for not acknowledging its "mistakes" and for not "estimating and examining whether the resistance is achieving our goal or the enemy's goals." He ends by saying that in the future the PA/Fatah must be involved in planning the "resistance," the PA euphemism for terror: "We must determine the nature of the resistance at every stage together":
"We have made many mistakes, and thus we have made it easy for our enemy...
The resistance is a noble act against the occupation (i.e., Israel)… butwe must estimate and examine whether the resistance is achieving our goal or the enemy's goals.
In recent days, we were preoccupied by the way in which [Yahya] Sinwar became a Martyr as a hero… but while we were preoccupied by the story of heroism, the enemy… carried out its plans… The enemy turned the Gaza Strip into a disaster-stricken area that does not enable life.
If we do not see that the only thing that is taking place in the Gaza Strip is a hell of mass annihilation… then we have a deep problem, a problem of awareness, and we are insisting on accepting the illusion more than understanding the reality…
There is no doubt, we are all in favor of everyone who is engaging in resistance.But… we must stop and allow another manner of resistance to enter the picture…
One faction (i.e., Hamas) must not determine a war with Israel, and any act of resistance must necessarily stem from a national Palestinian agenda, and be planned in terms of the balance of powers. In other words, we must determine the nature of the resistance at every stage together."[Excerpt of a column by Bassem Barhoum, regular columnist
for the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida website, Oct. 26, 2024]
The only glorifying responses besides Hamas' own (see below) were from Fatah official Abbas Zaki who praised Sinwar's "awe-inspiring heroism" [Anadolu, Oct. 19, 2024], and from a division of Fatah's military wing based in the Gaza Strip. Eulogizing Sinwar, they rewrote history, turning Sinwar from a man hiding in the tunnels under Gaza during the entire war and who was killed while trying to escape, into a brave hero who "attacked until his last moment." However, they too did not dwell on any outstanding qualities of Sinwar as Palestinian eulogies usually do when arch-terrorists are killed. Instead, they stressed the goal of destroying Israel, "removing the treacherous Zionist enemy" entirely "from the Sea to the River":
Posted text: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine / [Nidal] Al-Amoudi Division eulogize Martyr fighter Yahya Sinwar, who ascended to Heaven while advancing and not retreating, and attacking until his last moment…
We emphasize that we remain on the path of his oath…
The Martyrdom of leader and symbol [Sinwar]… will not weaken the resistance and its determination to continue the path of removingthe treacherous Zionist enemythat is crouching over our occupied land, from its [Mediterranean] Sea to its [Jordan] River...
The blood of great commander Martyr ‘Abu Ibrahim' Sinwar will be a curse that will stupefy and burn the Nazi enemy entity, which will be humiliated and broken as a result of the blessed blows of the resistance in all the arenas of confrontation."[The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing)– Palestine, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
One local branch of Fatah in the West Bank did eulogize Sinwar as "great fighting Jihad fighter Martyr Yahya Sinwar" and "leader and architect of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle" – i.e., the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and launch of the current war against Israel:
The image shows photos of Sinwar, an AK-47 assault rifle, and the logo of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, Fatah's military wing.
Posted text: "Great fighting Jihad fighter Martyr Yahya Sinwar
Hamas Movement leader and architect of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Tulkarem Brigade (rapid response) – central leadership"
Text on logo: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades / rapid response squads – Tulkarem Brigade"
Text on image: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger
Great Jihad fighter Martyr – Yahya Sinwar –
Hamas leader, architect of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle"[The Tulkarem Brigade, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
In another post, the same Fatah branch echoed the Gaza-based Fatah division, also pretending Sinwar was a great hero who did not hide throughout the war and let others fight for him, but rather "advanced and [did] not retreat, attacking in the arenas of battle and honor":
Posted text: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine
Announce with wedding joy (i.e., a Martyr's funeral is considered his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam) to our Palestinian people and our Arab and Islamic nation the [Martyrdom of] head of the Islamic Resistance Movement [‘Hamas'], great leader Martyr –
Yahya Ibrahim Sinwar
Who ascended to Heaven while advancing and not retreating, and attacking in the arenas of battle and honor in heroic Rafah...
We emphasize our loyalty to the oath of the Martyrs who ascended to Heaven on this blessed path of defending our cause and our holy sites.
This is Jihad – victory or Martyrdom.
Your brothers and soldiers – the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Tulkarem Brigade (central leadership)"[The Tulkarem Brigade, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
Hamas itself praised Sinwar as "a great leader" and "Martyr," whose path "was a lofty jihadist path." The terror organization repeated its vow to "liberate Palestine" and "purify" it of the "Zionist defilement":
"Our procession of Jihad will not be stopped until the liberation of Palestine and the expulsion of the last Zionist from it…
This enemy is deluded if it thinks that murdering the resistance leaders like Sinwar, Haniyeh, [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah, [Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Chairman Saleh] Al-Arouri, and others could extinguish the spark of the resistance, or cause it to retreat. In fact, it will continue and advance until realizing our people's legal goals. Martyrdom is the loftiest thing that our leaders wish for, and their blood will be a beacon illuminating the path of liberation and a fire burning the aggressors.Our leaders left behind hundreds of thousands of Jihad fighters from among our people and our nation, and they are determined to fight the Zionist occupation (i.e., Israel) until purifying Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque of its defilement, and until removing it from our land, Allah willing.
This is Jihad – victory or Martyrdom.
The Martyr Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades – Palestine
Friday… Oct. 18, 2024"[Hamas, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
The lack of praise for Sinwar from the PA reflects the ongoing internal rift between Fatah and Hamas, and Fatah's dilemma. The PA/Fatah still needs Hamas in the PLO because of the overwhelming support that Hamas still enjoys from the Palestinian people. Palestinian Media Watch exposed polls showing that Hamas is still overwhelmingly more popular than Fatah – as much as 2.5-3 times more. On the other hand, the PA has been frustrated with Hamas throughout the war for acting alone and "not consulting with anyone," and for needlessly prolonging the war:
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "When Hamas carried out what happened on Oct. 7, [2023] (i.e., Hamas' massacre and launch of terror war), it did so alone. It did not consult with anyone and did not even brief anyone, and frankly this is something shameful…
The decision maker regarding war and peace is the national leadership.The national leadership is the PLO. Fatah does not claim that it is the decision maker regarding war and peace. It is forbidden for any faction, including Hamas, to claim that it is the decision maker regarding war and peace... The one who represents us in the form of the state is the PLO." …RT Arabic TV host: "Are you being briefed regarding the progress of the [ceasefire] negotiations [between Hamas and Israel]?"
Al-Habbash: "No, unfortunately we are not being briefed, and the reason is not us. The reason, unfortunately, is Hamas, which wants to take exclusivity over everything, and this is saddening."
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Aug. 26, 2024]
Al-Habbash: "Every leadership that prioritizes its own interests, welfare, and benefit over its people's welfare, interests, and benefit is a wretched leadership. A leadership that committed the crime of betraying the responsibility entrusted to it."
Al-Hadath TV host: "Is that what Hamas did?"
Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "The welfare of all the [Hamas] commanders, all the fighters, and all our people is our first priority. We hope for nothing but that everyone will be okay and fine, but not at the expense of the Palestinian people's welfare, and not at the expense of the Palestinian people's blood. The Palestinian people is not fuel for the leadership's welfare.
Anyone who gives an excuse to the occupation (i.e., Israel) is a partner in bearing the responsibility for the crimes that the occupation is committing. Over the last nine months [of the war] we have lost what we did not lose over 70 years of the conflict between us and the Zionist project."[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, July 14, 2024]
The following are longer excerpts of the statements cited above and additional reports on the death of Sinwar:
Headline: "The PLO Executive Committee announces the death of great national leader Yahya Sinwar"
"The PLO Executive Committee announces to our Palestinian people and all the national action factions the Martyrdom-death of great national leader and Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Yahya Sinwar.
In a statement, the Executive Committee said that the fact that the Israeli occupation is continuing to commit barbaric massacres and wage a war of genocide against our people and our Arab nation in Palestine and Lebanon proves once again that the extremist right-wing government in the Zionist entity (i.e., Israel) is not obeying the resolutions of the international institutions. It added that this increases our need to unite our ranks in the framework of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of our people, and to bear our national responsibility in order to block all of our enemies' attempts to eliminate our national cause, and in order to restore to ourselves our rights in full – return, ending the occupation (i.e., Israel), and establishing our Palestinian state over all our occupied territories in the 1967 borders, whose eternal capital is Jerusalem.
The statement also said that the Executive Committee expresses its sincere condolences to the brothers in the Hamas Movement leadership, the Hamas activists, and the family of Martyr Yahya Sinwar (i.e., Hamas leader). [The PLO Executive Committee members] called to continue strengthening our national unity in the framework of our sole legitimate representative, the PLO, so that we will stand as one in order to thwart the Israeli plan to uproot our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from their homeland, to renew the settlement in the Gaza Strip, and to expand the expropriation of lands and destruction of homes throughout the West Bank, and especially Jerusalem."
[WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 18, 2024]
Excerpt of a column by Bassem Barhoum, regular columnist for the official PA daily
Headline: "In the Gaza Strip there is nothing but annihilation"
"The occurrence of Nakbas (i.e., "the catastrophe," the Palestinian term for the establishment of the State of Israel) is not a fated decree, or an unavoidable conspiracy. It is true that one must not blame the victim, but this is [true regarding] a dispute with the other (i.e., Israel), and not an internal dispute of our own. We have made many mistakes, and thus we have made it easy for our enemy to realize its barbarity, fascism, and racism. We have contributed to the occurrence of our Nakbas, and if we do not stop and ask how and why we reached the Nakba, we will remain the victim even in other stages in the future.
The resistance is a noble act against the occupation (i.e., Israel) and the aggression, and the idea of the resistance will not die with the end of a certain chapter in history; but we must estimate and examine whether the resistance is achieving our goal or the enemy's goals.
In recent days, we were preoccupied by the way in which [Yahya] Sinwar (i.e., Hamas leader) became a Martyr as a hero – and this is important – but while we were preoccupied by the story of heroism, the enemy turned the northern Gaza Strip into the scene of an ongoing massacre. The enemy carried out its plans in the most despicable ways, it murdered, expelled, carried out ethnic cleansing, and destroyed every cement wall still standing. The enemy turned the Gaza Strip into a disaster-stricken area that does not enable life (refers to the 2023 Gaza war; see note below -Ed.).
If we do not see that the only thing that is taking place in the Gaza Strip is a hell of mass annihilation, and do not see that the Gaza Strip has become inhospitable, then we have a deep problem, a problem of awareness, and we are insisting on accepting the illusion more than understanding the reality…
There is no doubt, we are all in favor of everyone who is engaging in resistance.But when the resistance turns into an excuse to continue the slaughter, we must stop and allow another manner of resistance to enter the picture. The political resistance is liable to succeed in restraining the fascist and criminal [Israeli] government…
One faction must not determine a war with Israel, and any act of resistance must necessarily stem from a national Palestinian agenda, and be planned in terms of the balance of powers. In other words, we must determine the nature of the resistance at every stage together."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida website, Oct. 26, 2024]
Headline: "A senior Fatah official eulogizes Sinwar: He concluded his life with awe-inspiring heroism"
"In a statement that was published on the Hamas website, [Fatah] Movement Central Committee member Abbas Zaki said: ‘The way in which Martyr Yahya Sinwar (i.e., Hamas leader) concluded his life with heroism dignifies every Palestinian.'
He continued: ‘Sinwar chose a death befitting his heroism and the heroism of his people.' …Zaki added: ‘Sinwar did not hide underground or behind the confrontation lines, but rather bore his weapon and flak jacket and fought on the battlefield like every resistance member.'"
[Anadolu (Turkish state-run news agency), Oct. 19, 2024]
Abbas Zaki also serves as Fatah Commissioner for Arab and China Relations.
Posted text: "A military statement from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine / Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division [in the Gaza Strip]
With great magnificence and pride, and determination to continue on the path of the Martyrs, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine / [Nidal] Al-Amoudi Division eulogize Martyr fighter Yahya Sinwar ‘Abu Ibrahim' (i.e., Hamas leader), who ascended to Heaven while advancing and not retreating, and attacking until his last moment…
While consoling our brothers in the Islamic Resistance Movement ‘Hamas,' and blessing its [Hamas] Political Bureau chairman over the Martyrdom, we emphasize that we remain on the path of his oath…
The Martyrdom of leader and symbol [Sinwar]… will not weaken the resistance and its determination to continue the path of removing the treacherous Zionist enemythat is crouching over our occupied land, from its [Mediterranean] Sea to its [Jordan] River.
The Zionist enemy has not learned the lesson during the ongoing confrontation since Oct. 7, [2023] (i.e., Hamas' invasion and massacre to launch its terror war on Israel) – that its policy of assassinations only adds strength and durability in continuing the struggle and the confrontation.
The blood of great commander Martyr ‘Abu Ibrahim' Sinwar will be a curse that will stupefy and burn the Nazi enemy entity, which will be humiliated and broken as a result of the blessed blows of the resistance in all the arenas of confrontation…
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine – Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division – Oct. 18, 2024"
[The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
The Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is based in the Gaza Strip
The image shows the logo of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade (Fatah's military wing) that includes crossed rifles and a grenade above the Dome of the Rock, with Palestinian flags below it.
Text on logo: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades / rapid response squads –Tulkarem Brigade"
Posted text: "In the name of All Merciful Allah…
An announcement of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine – rapid response squads / central leadership
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine
Announce with wedding joy (i.e., a Martyr's funeral is considered his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam) to our Palestinian people and our Arab and Islamic nation the [Martyrdom of] head of the Islamic Resistance Movement [‘Hamas'], great leader Martyr –
Yahya Ibrahim Sinwar
Who ascended to Heaven while advancing and not retreating, and attacking in the arenas of battle and honor in heroic Rafah.
The assassinations that the occupation (i.e., Israel) carried out against the leaders of the Palestinian people will only add strength and stability to the resistance in continuing the path of resistance.
We in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Palestine convey our condolences to our brothers in the Hamas Movement leadership, and congratulate over the Martyrdom of fighting [Hamas] Political Bureau Chairman [Sinwar].
We emphasize our loyalty to the oath of the Martyrs who ascended to Heaven on this blessed path of defending our cause and our holy sites.
This is Jihad – victory or Martyrdom.
Your brothers and soldiers – the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Tulkarem Brigade (central leadership)"
[The Tulkarem Brigade, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
Posted text: "A military statement from the Martyr Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades (i.e., Hamas' military wing) …
The Martyr Izz A-Din [Al-Qassam] Brigades accompany to [his] wedding (i.e., a Martyr's funeral is considered his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam) in supernal Heaven great leader Martyr Yahya Sinwar ‘Abu Ibrahim' (i.e., Hamas leader)… who died as a Martyr and ascended to Heaven in the lofty war to defend the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, our people, and its legal rights.
Among the reasons for pride is that our [Hamas] Movement is giving the commanders [as Martyrs] before the soldiers, and its leaders are leading the convoy of Martyrs who gave their lives and blood for Allah, on the path to liberating Palestine…
The path of our leader [Sinwar] ‘Abu Ibrahim' was a lofty jihadist path. He was part of the generation of founders of the Islamic resistance movement and its security and military forces. Afterwards he sacrificed the best of his youth as a prisoner for more than 20 years… until he left [prison] with his head held high in the ‘loyalty to the free people' deal (i.e., the Shalit exchange; see note below). When he was released from prison, he immediately continued on the path of Jihad… and commanded the military activity in the three districts (i.e., the northern, central, and southern Gaza Strip), and he had an important role in the process of uniting the fronts on the path to Jerusalem.
Later he led Hamas in the Gaza Strip and his period constituted a level up… both on the political level and the military level, and it reached a peak in ‘the Al-Aqsa Flood' (Hamas' name for its terror war against Israel; see note below -Ed.)… Afterwards he led Hamas in the interior and exterior (i.e., inside and outside "Palestine"), after the Martyrdom-death of [Hamas Political Bureau Chairman] leader Ismail Haniyeh (i.e., assassinated with explosives in Tehran, which was attributed to Israel, on July 31, 2024).
The resistance factions and Hamas at their center, when they decided to enter this great and decisive battle in the history of the Palestinian people and our [Muslim] nation, …knew that the price of liberation is very high, and that all the peoples that liberated themselves from occupation paid it. They were prepared to give the best of those sacrificing from among their people, and they gave leaders and soldiers, while refusing to bow down before the enemy or be silent over the oppression…
Our procession of Jihad will not be stopped until the liberation of Palestine and the expulsion of the last Zionist from it, and until the restoration of all our legal rights. The best proof of this is that our people has not broken and has not submitted after a year of ‘the Al-Aqsa Flood' war, despite the huge prices that it has paid, and in spite of the Zionists' crimes of annihilation…
This enemy is deluded if it thinks that murdering the resistance leaders like Sinwar, Haniyeh, [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah, [Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Chairman Saleh] Al-Arouri, and others could extinguish the spark of the resistance, or cause it to retreat. In fact, it will continue and advance until realizing our people's legal goals. Martyrdom is the loftiest thing that our leaders wish for, and their blood will be a beacon illuminating the path of liberation and a fire burning the aggressors.Our leaders left behind hundreds of thousands of Jihad fighters from among our people and our nation, and they are determined to fight the Zionist occupation (i.e., Israel) until purifying Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque of its defilement, and until removing it from our land, Allah willing.
This is Jihad – victory or Martyrdom.
The Martyr Izz A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades – Palestine
Friday… Oct. 18, 2024"
[Hamas, Telegram channel, Oct. 18, 2024]
Headline: "Fatah announces the death of Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Martyr Yahya Sinwar"
"The Fatah Movement announced the death of Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman Martyr Yahya Sinwar.
In a statement from the [Fatah] Commission of Information, Culture, and Ideology today, Friday, [Oct. 18, 2024,] Fatah added that the policy of murder and terror that the occupation (i.e., Israeli) government is implementing will not succeed in breaking our people's desire to achieve its legitimate national rights, which are freedom and independence.
It called on the masses of our people to cooperate, to help one another, and to unite in this difficult and sensitive stage on the journey of our people, by strengthening the resolve and the struggle against the occupation…
Fatah expressed its sincere condolences to the Palestinian people, Hamas, and the family of the Martyr."
[WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 18, 2024]
Headline: "Palestinian factions eulogize Martyr Yahya Sinwar"
"The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) eulogized Martyr [Yahya] Sinwar (i.e., Hamas leader). It emphasized that ‘the national journey of struggle and liberation continues, and the blood and sacrifice of all the Martyrs and freedom fighters will not be in vain.'
The Palestinian People's Party expressed condolences to the Hamas Movement and our people over the death as a Martyr of Sinwar. In a statement it emphasized that the continued terror and crimes of the occupation (i.e., Israel) against our people and its leaders will not harm the willpower of our people or dissuade it from continuing its path in order to gain its freedom, national independence, and the firm right of return of its refugees.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) eulogized Martyr Sinwar. In a statement it emphasized that his death as a Martyr will only constitute an additional incentive, which will cause our people that is standing firm to be more united and more determined to continue on the path of struggle until national liberation.
The Palestinian Democratic Union ‘FIDA' also eulogized Martyr Sinwar. In a statement it said that Sinwar's death constitutes a great loss for our Palestinian people and the Palestinian national liberation movement, and that the path of national struggle will not go backwards or be stopped, but rather will continue to advance until the Israeli occupation will vacate our land.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) eulogized Martyr Sinwar. In a statement it emphasized that this blood is not spilled in vain, and that it will remain testimony to how this people will not be defeated.
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine also eulogized Martyr Sinwar. In a statement it said that his death as a Martyr will only increase our people's determination to adhere to its goals.
The Palestinian National Initiative Movement eulogized Martyr Sinwar. In a statement it emphasized: ‘The assassination of the fighting leaders has never broken and will never break the willpower of the Palestinian people, and also has not succeeded in extinguishing the spark of the resistance and the national struggle, which will continue until the realization of the freedom of the Palestinian people – with all its components – in full.'"
[WAFA, official PA news agency, Oct. 18, 2024]