Several hundred masked Hamas fighters paraded through Gaza City on Saturday to honour their dead and to celebrate their “victory” in the 11-day battle with Israel, which ended after a ceasefire on Friday. The group’s top leader made a rare public appearance. FRANCE 24 reports.
In a rare show of force, Hamas fighters marched through the devastated city with their arms held high to celebrate their claimed victory in the most recent conflict with Israel. Stunned after 11 days of Israeli air strikes, the residents looked on in silence.
“The Israeli enemy understands no other language than force. After that, then he will know what to expect when he strikes the resistance,” a relative to a high Hamas commander killed in the fighting told FRANCE 24.
At the end of the parade, top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar emerged to make his first public appearance since the start of the offensive. He made no statements or speeches but put himself on display by greeting the families of fighters who had been killed in battle. His lieutenants proudly repeated the cry of victory.
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