25 November 2001

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

 “Among the Believers are men who have been true to their Covenant with Allah: of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least”

The Mujahid commander Mahmoud Abu Hannoud will remain the symbol of the Ummah’s greatness with its sacrifices and victories and the killers’ dream will be in vain

To our Palestinian Mujahid people, our people in the diaspora and steadfast camps, our angry and struggling  masses, our Mujahid youths, our steadfast people, our brave children, our persevering women, our esteemed Sheikhs and our glorified Arab and Islamic Ummah.

To all honorable and loyal people who refused to heed the American ceasefire calls and refused to accept the enemy’s dictates and refused to be humiliated in their own lands. To our heroic Mujahideen, free strugglers and brave fighters in all parts of our occupied homeland and in the diaspora.

To all of you the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, bears with pride, patience and steadfastness the glad tidings of the martyrdom of its martyr hero Mahmoud Abu Hannoud, commander of the Qassam Brigades in the West Bank districts and his brothers the Mujahideen … the heroes … the brothers Ayman and Ma’moon Hashayka whose pure blood inspired resistance in the masses from the Ocean to the Gulf and who renewed hope and strength in those masses along the road of Jihad and resistance.

The people took to the streets bidding them farewell and renewing allegiance to resistance and support to the Mujahid Brigades from which  Yehya Ayyash, Emad Akl, Mohiuddin Al-Sharif and other heroic Mujahideen who cleaned the hearts and cleared the vision of the Ummah graduated.

Hence, Mahmoud did not die but rather his martyrdom breathed life in a situation  almost killed by initiatives and understandings. Palestine knows that the man who was chasing martyrdom as the Zionist occupation authorities were chasing him was inevitably meeting his fate. However, the loss was great and painful despite its inevitability. Nonetheless, congratulations should be extended for the martyrdom, Allah’s satisfaction and paradise and congratulations for meeting Mohammed, peace be upon him, and his companions.

Our Palestinian people … our Arab and Islamic Ummah:

Our Mujahid hero Mahmoud Abu Hannoud left this world heading for the upper site in paradise after spending the best ever years in life and after his name was added to the list of heroes of this Ummah and after he became a symbol and a model. Cunning minds and sinful hands that assassinated the Mujahid hero Mahmoud Abu Hannoud were the same that planned for liquidating the Mujahideen leaders such as the martyr Dr. Abdullah Azam on 24th November 1989 and the martyr hero Emad Akl on 24th November 1993 within framework of a spiteful Zionist-Crusade scheme to liquidate Islamic propagators and to abort the phenomenon of Islamic renaissance that posed as a nightmare for oppressive regimes, the Zionist entity and the hateful crusade countries.

History is repeating itself; regimes are allying anew to uproot Islam and Muslims under the cover of “combating terrorism”. Even if America were true in its intentions and calls against terrorism, it should have set the Zionist entity at the top of the list of terrorism. It should have fought that entity for representing the cruelest form of occupation and terrorism and it should have backed the Palestinian people (victim of Zionist terrorism) who are fighting to liberate national lands and to win freedom and independence after ejecting Israeli occupation. It should not justify Zionist aggression that assassinate and murder heroic Mujahideen and Palestinian civilians. It was not strange that the Zionists and Crusaders would lead the ferocious campaign against Islam and Muslims.

This savage crime was perpetrated with all cowardice and meanness as a reception to the American delegation that arrived at the pretext of defusing tensions in the region. The American administration did not react in the least in face of such a crime, which affirmed its blatant bias in favor of Zionist terrorism. Hence, accepting American initiatives and offering concessions just to please it is a very serious matter. We urge the Palestinian Authority to declare rejection of all oppressive American initiatives and not to abide by what contradicts our people’s rights, ambitions and determination.

Our patient Palestinian people:

Our martyr hero has paid the price of pride and dignity after performing his duty in full towards his religion, country and people. Mahmoud was not only a person who chose the road of dignity and pride but he was also a prominent model of a Palestinian generation. Through representing that generation, Mahmoud gained his value as a Mujahid and a commander who dedicated his life to produce a glorious record in various areas of the country. He remained loyal to his creed and never got bored or stopped by the lie of the so-called “de facto situation” or “prevailing circumstances” but rather topped the list of honorable combatants who attack enemy fortresses and who spread panic and death in lines of its soldiers and herds of settlers.

We in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, mourn today one of our most prominent commanders and affirm that such a savage crime would not weaken us or halt our Jihad march or check our Brigades’ advance towards uprooting the usurping Zionist entity from our holy land. Let Sharon and his frightened army know that they will pay dearly for assassinating our heroes. We tell him not to rejoice much or smile for long because we will smash the fake joy that filled his black, hateful heart. And we will wipe out the fascist smile off his face. We will attack them with unvanquished soldiers who are used to Jihad as a way of life and who yearn for death as their way to martyrdom.

We pl