The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, strongly rejected remarks by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, accusing him of aligning with the “false Zionist narrative” and attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance.

In a statement issued Friday, Hamas stressed that resistance against occupation is not only a national but also a moral responsibility. “Our resistance derives its legitimacy from the steadfastness of our people and their natural right to resist foreign occupation, as recognized by international laws and conventions,” the Movement declared.

Hamas: Resistance Weapons Are Untouchable

Hamas condemned Abbas’s claim that resistance groups target civilians, describing it as a distortion aimed at pleasing external powers. “All attempts to impose guardianship over our people and their will are doomed to fail,” the group emphasized.

The statement also rejected Abbas’s declaration that Hamas would have no role in future Palestinian governance. The Movement said such remarks represent “an infringement on the inherent right of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny and choose their leadership, and an unacceptable submission to external agendas.”

“The weapons of resistance are untouchable as long as the occupation remains entrenched on our land,” Hamas affirmed, condemning Abbas’s call to disarm Palestinian fighters while the people of Gaza endure what it described as an ongoing genocidal war.

Genocide in Gaza and Occupation Crimes in the West Bank

Hamas pointed to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now stretched into its 721st day, as proof of the need for armed resistance. The statement highlighted the “brutal crimes and savage assaults committed by armed settlers and the occupation army against unarmed civilians in the occupied West Bank,” as well as the famine and displacement suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 233,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded since October 2023, including 442 who died from starvation, among them 147 children. Hamas said these figures demonstrate the criminal intent of the occupation and the failure of international institutions to halt the bloodshed.

Call for National Unity

Reaffirming its position, Hamas stressed that “the only path to safeguarding the Palestinian cause and confronting the occupation’s plans to exterminate and displace our people in Gaza, annex the West Bank, and Judaize Jerusalem and al-Aqsa” lies in a unified national program centered on resistance.

The statement concluded by declaring: “Our steadfast people are the source of legitimacy, and the weapons of resistance are a red line that cannot be compromised.” (ILKHA)