Islamic Jihad slams normalization, vows to keep fighting until Palestine freed

The head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement has underscored their determination to continue their resistance against Israel despite all the challenges, saying they won’t retreat until they achieve a victory over the occupying regime.

Addressing a mass festival in the Gaza Strip celebrating the 36th anniversary of the movement’s establishment on Friday, Ziad al-Nakhalah said the resistance force will continue to act as a supporter of all the Palestinian people, and as an extension of the valiant resistance in the West Bank and its fighting brigades.

“We, the Hamas movement, and the resistance forces in Palestine will remain united until our people’s goal of freedom and liberation is achieved,” he said.

Nakhalah stressed the importance of maintaining unity among all the resistance forces in the region, adding, "For sure, victory is for resilient nations." 

Condemning Normalization deals with Israel

The resistance leader criticized the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for being influenced by the US and Israel, saying it’s an example of what’s happening in the entire Arab world.

He said Israel kills the Palestinians with American weapons, and the Palestinian Authority’s security forces act on Israeli’s decisions to arrest Palestinians.

Nakhalah slammed the normalization deals between some Arab governments and the Israeli regime, saying Arab regimes are "submitting to the Zionist project and falling into line with the enemy."

Nakhalah lamented that over 30 years have passed since the signing of the Oslo Accords, and despite all the injustices Palestinians have faced in recent decades, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) continues working with the regime.

He was referring to a deal signed in 1993 in the US, which marked the first time the Israeli regime and the PLO recognized each other, and was meant to resolve the Palestine conflict.

Palestinians have long criticized the accords for jeopardizing the Palestinian cause and failing to stop Israel’s colonial projects and Judaization schemes across the occupied territories.

Islamic Jihad unveils new drones

The Islamic Jihad marked its foundation anniversary on Friday simultaneously in Gaza, a camp in Tulkarm in the West Bank, Damascus, and Beirut.

On Tuesday, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, held a military maneuver in the Gaza Strip.

And on Wednesday, they marched through Gaza City and held a parade in the strip with their rockets and drones. The parade showcased new homegrown drones, including the Sahab attack and reconnaissance drone, the Sayyad attack drone and the Hudhud photography and reconnaissance drone. 

Islamic Jihad forces have in recent years been involved in several confrontations with the regime, most recently in May, when five days of Israeli aerial assaults killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza, including several Islamic Jihad leaders.

The resistance group responded by firing over 1,000 rockets toward occupied territories. 

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