The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has issued a statement condemning the assassination of six bodyguards of Martyr Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of the Hamas politburo, in an airstrike by the Israeli regime.

The attack occurred late Monday night at the Al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza, resulting in the deaths of nine Palestinians, including the six bodyguards.

In the statement released early Tuesday, Hamas denounced the airstrike as a demonstration of the occupiers' deep-seated hatred toward those closely associated with the martyred leader Ismail Haniyeh. The group highlighted that this attack is a continuation of previous crimes, including the assassination of Haniyeh's children and grandchildren and the bombing of his relatives' homes. Hamas asserted that these actions will not cease with Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran.

The movement emphasized that such crimes by the Zionist enemy cannot extinguish the spirit of resistance among the Palestinian people and their fighters. Hamas reiterated its commitment to the path of resistance, vowing that Jihad will persist until the enemy is driven out and defeated by the unwavering determination of the Palestinian people.

Since the onset of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7 of last year, Israeli genocidal aggression in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children, according to local reports. The aggression has caused widespread devastation across the Gaza Strip, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the region. (ILKHA)