Abu Obeida Says Israel’s Assassinations Won’t Weaken Al-Qassam Resistance

The Palestinian resistance’s military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said on Tuesday that Israel’s campaign of assassinations would not weaken Palestinian resistance, insisting that “The bill remains open,” while Hamas separately rejected claims that it is refusing to relinquish administrative control of Gaza under a proposed transitional arrangement.

“Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, affirmed that the Palestinian resistance continues its struggle despite assassinations and losses, emphasizing that the martyrdom of its leaders will not weaken it or halt its project”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

In a televised address, Abu Obeida said Israel mistakenly believes that killing resistance leaders will undermine the movement, arguing that the struggle would continue despite mounting losses among its senior ranks.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem rejected accusations that Hamas refuses to relinquish control of the enclave, describing such claims as attempts to justify the continuation of Israeli military operations.

Qassem said Hamas remains fully prepared to transfer all governing responsibilities, including security-related matters, to the National Committee for Gaza Administration, a body agreed upon during discussions in Cairo, while he said the main obstacle is Israel alongside Nikolay Mladenov, executive director of the Board of Peace.

Multiple outlets reported the Qassam Brigades mourning their Chief of Staff Az-Din Haddad, with the Palestinian Information Center saying he was martyred after an Israeli assassination operation targeted him on Friday evening in Gaza City and that the attack killed him alongside his wife, daughter, and several civilians.

The Brigades said in a military statement that Haddad was martyred during a “cowardly assassination operation carried out by the criminal enemy that does not observe any agreement or pledge,” and they said he had taken command of the Qassam Brigades’ General Staff in the recent period.

Shehab News

Shehab News said the Brigades announced the death of Azeddin Haddad, “Abu Suhaib,” and affirmed that “the assassination of the leaders will not stop our march.”

In the same Shehab News statement, the Brigades described Haddad’s role in planning and preparing the October 7 operation and in leading defensive operations, and they said the caravan of martyrs has continued for nearly a century.

Al-Maaloumah reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the assassination of Palestinian leaders is “a clear proof of the impotence and confusion faced by the Zionist entity,” and it said the policy of assassinations comes within a Zionist project aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause.

“With verses of glory, pride, steadfastness, and defiance, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced to the Palestinian people, to the masses of the nation, and to all free people the martyrdom of one of its most prominent figures and senior leaders, and a pioneer in the path of jihad and resistance to the occupation: the martyr, the great commander Azeddin Haddad, Abu Suhaib, commander of the General Staff of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades”

Shehab News

In the same report, the Iranian Foreign Ministry accused the United States of being “a full partner in the crimes committed, as the occupation’s largest military, political, and financial backer,” while also stressing that targeting the leaders of the resistance will not stop the Palestinian struggle.

A separate West Asian report from وكالة سبأ put the Gaza toll at 72,942 dead and 172,967 injured since the start of the offensive, and it also said Israeli forces detained 31 Palestinians, including female students, in West Bank raids.

The Palestine Chronicle also cited figures released by the Palestinian Health Ministry, saying 935 Palestinians have been killed and 2,860 wounded since the ceasefire entered into force on October 10, and it added that the Health Ministry recorded 781 bodies recovered from areas previously inaccessible due to military operations.