News - Middle East: A senior Hamas official says the resistance group that is seeking the liberation of Palestine from the Israeli occupation cannot be eliminated with the "martyrdom of its leaders".

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, made the remarks on Friday, a day after Israel claimed that it had killed the group's leader, Yahya Sinwar. 

“Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated,” he said in a statement. “We believe that our destiny is one of two good things, either victory or martyrdom.”

Naim added, “Yes it’s very painful and distressing to lose beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders like ours, but what we are sure of is that we are; this is the outcome for all people who fought for their liberty.”

In a statement released on Thursday, the Israeli military claimed that Sinwar "was eliminated" by its troops in the southern Gaza Strip.

Drone footage released by Israeli media of what they claim to be Sinwar’s final moments shows a man fighting bravely and refusing to surrender despite severe injuries.

During an interview with CNN, Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said Sinwar “one more time has failed the Israelis.”

Israel waged a genocidal onslaught on Gaza after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in retaliation for Israel’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, a year into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing captives held in Gaza, despite killing at least 42,438 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 99,246 others.

While bogged down in the Gaza quagmire, Israel has recently mounted its acts of terror and aggression in Lebanon.

Source: Press TV