Secretary-General of the Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad Ziad al-Nakhala says the recent battle in the occupied West Back city of Jenin ushered in a “new era” in the superiority of the resistance over the Israeli military.
The Islamic Jihad’s official website quoted Nakhala as making the statement in phone conversations on Sunday with the families of a number of martyrs from the deadly Israeli assault on Jenin and its refugee camp earlier in the week.
Nakhala hailed as a “great triumph” for the resistance groups the Israeli regime’s defeat in its recent aggression on Jenin and stressed that the movement takes pride in “every drop of blood” in the latest battle.
Underlining the solid will of the Palestinians in confronting the Israeli regime, Nakhala said the victory was an extension of all the heroic battles led by the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and other resistance groups.
“What happened in the Jenin camp is a great triumph in the face of the Zionist aggression, led by the Jenin Battalion in the al-Quds Brigades and all the resistance forces,” he said.
“What happened establishes a new era that the upper hand is for our people and their solid resistance.”
Nakhala also expressed gratitude to the residents of Jenin and its refugee camp for their support for the resistance fighters and their combat against Israel.
Israel launched the military campaign against Jenin in the early hours of July 3, mobilizing upwards of 1,000 troops as means of supposedly damaging the resistance “infrastructure” in the city and the refugee camp that it hosts.
At least 12 Palestinians and one Israeli trooper died as a result of the conflict, during which a steadfast Palestinian resistance response prompted the regime to pull out its forces after less than two days.
Israeli troops finally pulled back from Jenin on Tuesday evening following a 44-hour-long incursion.
The Israeli aggression on Jenin drew widespread condemnation from the international community.
Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids on Palestinian towns and cities.
Nearly 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, according to the Health Ministry. At least 25 Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.