Ziad Al-Nakhalah, secretary general of the PIJ, in a televised speech, October 8, 2023 (screen grab)

In a televised speech, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah, said "Israel" must acknowledge defeat if it wishes to stop incurring additional casualties and prisoners.

"The captives, including soldiers and settlers, who are held in Gaza, number in the tens, and I can even say that they far exceed this number. The Islamic Jihad [alone] has more than 30 prisoners from the enemy at the moment," Al-Nakhalah said.

He continued to say that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood revealed the weakness of the enemy and left them paralyzed. He added that it became clear that the enemy was susceptible to breaking since the early hours and this was evidenced by their pleas for help from the United States.

He added that how Israeli soldiers faired in the battles that took place across the settlements and in military bases is clear evidence that "the [Israeli] army is weaker than many believe in the world", in addition to how they were captured and how they ditched their weapons fleeing the battle.

Al-Nakhalah addressed the resistance fighters, saying, "In the toughest conditions, you have occupied the world's attention because you possessed the will, and you humiliated the enemy despite their heavily armed forces. Today, Gaza, with its brave fighters, has spoken its word representing the will of Palestine and the will of the free people worldwide."

He pointed out that "the range of the fighting does not distinguish between Gaza and Al-Quds or between Gaza and Jenin," adding: "We assure the occupation and its supporters that this brutality will only make us stronger and more determined to continue the fight."

Al-Nakhalah concluded by saying, "Victory is a matter of time, and we will fight and continue to fight, and with our determination and sacrifices, we will change the equations."

Earlier today, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan confirmed to Al Mayadeen that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is still proceeding as planned by the Qassam Brigades leadership highlighting major achievements revealed for the first time.

Hamdan said that the Resistance took advantage of all the information retrieved following the takeover of the “Erez” outpost liberating Palestinian territories.

Among the documents were those denoting the names of Israeli agents in Gaza and across Palestine as well as plans laid out by the Israeli occupation.

"The #Palestinian resistance fighters now possess all intel from 'Eretz' military site on agents and Israeli plans."
- Hamas leader Osama Hamdan to #AlMayadeen.#OperationAlAqsaFlood #Gaza #طوفان_الأقصى https://t.co/69g57S51Kc
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 8, 2023

The Hamas leader said that “there are more than 7 points where Resistance fighters confronted the [Israeli] occupation forces based on the instructions of the Resistance leadership.”

Hamdan continued by saying "We are moving towards the West Bank" hoping to ignite all arenas in the face of the occupation noting that "the chances of that are great," given that "the security coordination project will not have high chances in the West Bank."

Regarding the options of the Israeli occupation government, Hamdan said that it must search for a deal with the resistance regarding the prisoners’ issue, and he continued that the image of “Israel” before the world has reappeared as it is, as an occupying and abnormal entity in the region.

Hamdan further pointed to the possibility of liberating Palestine starting from the Al-Aqsa Flood operation which demonstrated the fragility of the Israeli occupation forces emphasizing that the operation proved that the Palestinian cause still extends from the river to the sea.