The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine Ziyad al-Nakhalah. (Archive)

Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an interview with Hayat Washington, affirmed that "Had the recent war continued, all resistance groups, including Hamas (the Islamic Jihad's fellow Gaza-headquartered resistance group) and [Lebanon's] Hezbollah, would have sprung into action."

On May 9, "Israel" began its latest aggression against the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of many Palestinians, including five of the Islamic Jihad's commanders.

In retaliation, the Resistance launched more than 1,000 rockets into "Israel" during five days of fighting, following which the Israeli Occupation agreed to an Egypt-brokered ceasefire.

During the interview, al-Nakhalah emphasized that the PIJ assumed the lead and shouldered most of the burdens of the latest round of aggression and retaliation. The Secretary-General also reaffirmed that the PIJ was and continues to follow the newly-established deterrence equation underscoring that the Resistance will take revenge for the blood of assassinated martyrs by showering "Tel Aviv" with barrages of rockets.

Al-Nakhalah also reiterated that the Resistance forced "Israel" to agree to a ceasefire and not the other way around. According to the PIJ leader, "It was rather the enemy's calculations, pointing to the [likelihood] of intervention in the war by [other] Palestinian groups and Hezbollah that prompted Tel Aviv to stop escalating its aggression."

When asked about Palestinian Resistance factions, al-Nakhalah argued that Palestinians have failed to resolve their political differences, however, battlefield unity among factions could translate politically in the future.

The PIJ Secretary-General urged Palestinians to overcome their disagreements and resolve their conflicts in order to be able to direct all efforts toward confronting the Israeli Occupation.

'Tel Aviv', other Israeli cities not far from rocket range: Nakhalah

On May 19, the PIJ Secretary-General affirmed that "Tel Aviv" and other cities of the Zionist entity "are within the range of our rockets and the bullets of our fighters."

During a speech at the festival commemorating the martyrs of Operation Avenging the Free in the city of Saida, south Lebanon, al-Nakhalah said, "We meet today to honor a great group of martyrs and leaders who were killed in the treacherous aggression and to honor the two martyrs, Commander Khader Adnan and Commander Ali al-Aswad, and everyone who ascended to martyrdom in Operation Avenging the Free."

The PIJ memorizes the names, faces, and wills of the martyrs and will convey their names, titles, and dreams to future generations, he said.

Al-Nakhalah continued, "Someday, we will inevitably write the names of the martyrs on the walls, mosque, and gates of Al-Quds," stressing that "the enemy's illusions of strength and arrogance will be shattered when faced with the Palestinian people's will, ability, and determination to uphold confrontation and fight until victory is achieved."

The PIJ Secretary-General underlined that the Palestinian people will not hesitate to offer sacrifices and that "our martyrs are the ones who lead our path in achieving a balance of power with the enemy," stressing that the success of Operation Avenging the Free came "with the blessing of the martyrs' spilled blood and the preservation of the unity of the Palestinian people."

He further warned the Israeli occupation that the PIJ's response to any assassination "will be strong, clear and painful," stressing that "Tel Aviv and other cities of the Zionist entity are within the range of our rockets and the bullets of our fighters."