Following a direct Iranian attack on Israel in which Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel:

“We consider this response to be the natural reaction to the existence of the occupying entity, and it becomes increasingly necessary in light of the crimes, violations, and assassinations that the entity continues to commit in flagrant violation of all humanitarian and legal values and standards. We also condemn all the denying voices that have emerged in defense of the occupying entity, especially the countries that have made themselves a firewall to defend the entity, and portray it as the victim, in a blatant distortion of all facts and realities.” “Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad hail Iran’s retaliatory strikes on occupied territories,” Press TV, April 14, 2024, https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/14/723687/Lebanese-resistance-movement-Hezbollah-brave-decision-Iran-retaliatory-strikes-Israel.

During a Quds Day speech while crowds chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”:

“We warn that no action by any enemy concerning our holy establishment [the Islamic Republic] will go unanswered.”“IRGC warns Israel attacks ‘won’t go unanswered’ as Iran marks Al-Quds Day,” Al Jazeera, April 5, 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/5/irgc-warns-israel-attacks-wont-go-unanswered-as-iran-marks-al-quds-day.

Statement entitled “[By Allah], Allah Will Bring This Matter to Its Consummation”:

“We also do not need to produce legitimate justifications to target a state that fought Muslims in the past and the present, and we continue to kill and arrest its soldiers in the valleys of Sham and the Sahel and the coast.”“[By Allah], Allah Will Bring This Matter To Its Consummation,” Al-Furqan Media Group, March 29, 2024.

“We are at the doors of the blessed month of Ramadan, and with this Nazi aggression against our people continuing for the 151st day, despite the scale of killing, massacres, and genocide, and the pain of displacement, hunger, and thirst, this Nazi enemy has not achieved any of its aggressive goals.

“The image of the erosion of the defeated entity and its war pillars internally is increasingly deteriorating and growing, while the image of our people’s steadfastness, patience, strength, and the bravery of our resistance is firm, rooted, and determined to be victorious.

“We send our greetings, pride, and honor to our people in the Gaza Strip, who continue their legendary epic of patience and sacrifice. We also send peace and greetings to the victorious Al-Qassam Brigades, the fighting Saraya Al-Quds, and the men of the Palestinian resistance on the land of Gaza of glory, who continue with all strength, capability, will, and determination to forge a legacy of glory for our people and our nation.”“‘This is Why Negotiations are Stalling’–Osama Hamdan,” Palestine Chronicle, March 5, 2024, https://www.palestinechronicle.com/this-is-why-negotiations-are-stalling-osama-hamdan/.

“We have surprises that the enemies do not expect at all, and they will be very surprising to the enemies and above what the enemy and friend expect, surprises will come in an effective and influential way, we do not want to talk about them, because we want them to start already, and then we respond to them by saying.”“Sayyed Abdul-Malik says Yemen has surprises in store for enemies beyond what anyone can expect,” Yemen News Agency, February 29, 2024, https://www.saba.ye/en/news3309151.htm.

“Palestinians’ resistance against the Israeli occupation is the real guarantee for a potential deal, like the one that was achieved during the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”“Senior Hamas leader says operations like October 7 will ‘guarantee a potential deal,’” i24News, February 19, 2024, https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/1708326714-senior-hamas-leader-says-operations-like-october-7-will-guarantee-a-potential-deal.

Editorial on Hamas’s War on Israel:

“This battle [Al-Aqsa Storm] is not only a battle for the liberation of Al-Aqsa, rather a battle for our freedom from the claws of the New World Order too. The first step in our freedom is our mental freedom, the freedom of our heart and mind and thought and vision. This is that freedom after which we will be able to know what duty is upon us by reasoning and by shari’a, and also which enemy it is essential to target as a first priority to bring down and break up the system whose vein is in the claws of the Jews.”“In January 2024 Issue Of Its Urdu-Language Journal ‘Nawa-i-Ghazwa-e-Hind,’ Al-Qaeda In The Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) Reacts To Pakistan Navy Deploying Warships In Support Of Israel, Urges Attacks On Americans Worldwide: Hamas Attack ‘Is Not Only A Battle For The Liberation Of Al-Aqsa, Rather A Battle For Our Freedom From The Claws Of The New World Order Too,’” Middle East Media Monitor, February 13, 2024, https://www.memri.org/jttm/january-2024-issue-its-urdu-language-journal-nawa-i-ghazwa-e-hind-al-qaeda-indian-subcontinent.

From Hamas’s “Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”:

“The Hamas Movement according to international laws and norms is a national liberation movement that has clear goals and mission. It gets its legitimacy to resist the occupation from the Palestinian right to self-defense, liberation and self-determination. Hamas has always been keen to restrict its fight and resistance with the Israeli occupation on the occupied Palestinian territory, yet, the Israeli occupation did not abide by that and committed massacres and killings against the Palestinians outside Palestine.

“5. We stress that resisting the occupation with all means including the armed resistance is a legitimized right by all norms, divine religions, the international laws including the Geneva Conventions and its first additional protocol and the related UN resolutions e.g. The UN General Assembly Resolution 3236, adopted by the 29th session of the General Assembly on Nov. 22, 1974 which affirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Palestine, including the right to self-determination and the right to return to ‘their homes and property from where they were expelled, displaced and uprooted.’

“6. Our steadfast Palestinian people and their resistance are waging a heroic battle to defend their land and national rights against the longest and brutalist colonial occupation. The Palestinian people are confronting an unprecedented Israeli aggression that committed heinous massacres against Palestinian civilians, most of them were children and women. In the course of the aggression on Gaza, the Israeli occupation deprived our people in Gaza of food, water, medicines and fuel, and simply deprived them from all means of life. In the meantime, the Israeli warplanes savagely struck all Gaza infrastructures and public buildings including schools, universities, mosques, churches and hospitals in a clear sign of ethnic cleansing aimed at expelling the Palestinian people from Gaza. Yet, the backers of the Israeli occupation did nothing but kept the genocide ongoing against our people.”“Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas Online Telegram Channel, January 21, 2024.

From Hamas’s “Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”:

“The events of Oct. 7 must be put in its broader context, and that all cases of struggle against colonialism and occupation in our contemporary time be evoked. These experiences of struggle show that in the same level of oppression committed by the occupier; there would be an equivalent response by the people under occupation.”“Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas Online Telegram Channel, January 21, 2024.

From Hamas’s “Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”:

“In light of the Israeli fabricated accusations and allegations over Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7 and its repercussions, we in the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas clarify the following:

“1. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7 targeted the Israeli military sites, and sought to arrest the enemy’s soldiers to pressure on the Israeli authorities to release the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails through a prisoners exchange deal. Therefore, the operation focused on destroying the Israeli army’s Gaza Division, the Israeli military sites stationed near the Israeli settlements around Gaza.

“2. Avoiding harm to civilians, especially children, women and elderly people is a religious and moral commitment by all the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters. We reiterate that the Palestinian resistance was fully disciplined and committed to the Islamic values during the operation and that the Palestinian fighters only targeted the occupation soldiers and those who carried weapons against our people. In the meantime, the Palestinian fighters were keen to avoid harming civilians despite the fact that the resistance does not possess precise weapons. In addition, if there was any case of targeting civilians; it happened accidently and in the course of the confrontation with the occupation forces.

“Since its establishment in 1987, the Hamas Movement committed itself to avoiding harm to civilians. After Zionist criminal Baruch Goldstein in 1994 committed a massacre against Palestinian worshippers in the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Hebron City, the Hamas Movement announced an initiative to avoid civilians the brunt of fighting by all parties, but the Israeli occupation rejected it and even did not give any comment on it.

“The Hamas Movement also repeated such calls several times, but received by a deaf ear from the Israeli occupation which continued its deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian civilians.

“3. Maybe some faults happened during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’s implementation due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the border areas with Gaza.

“As attested by many, the Hamas Movement dealt in a positive and kind manner with all civilians who have been held in Gaza, and sought from the earliest days of the aggression to release them, and that’s what happened during the week-long humanitarian truce where those civilians were released in exchange of releasing Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.

“4. What the Israeli occupation promoted of allegations that the Al-Qassam Brigades on Oct. 7 were targeting Israeli civilians are nothing but complete lies and fabrications. The source of these allegations is the Israeli official narrative and no independent source proved any of them. It is a well-known fact that the Israeli official narrative had always sought to demonize the Palestinian resistance, while also legalizing its brutal aggression on Gaza.”“Our Narrative… Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” Hamas Online Telegram Channel, January 21, 2024.