Hamas Leader: Palestinians’ Return to Northern Gaza, the Defeat of U.S.-Backed Zionism Will Go Down in History (Exclusive)

Abdul Hakim Hanini, deputy head of Hamas in the West Bank, said Palestinians are determined to block U.S.-Israeli efforts to displace and expel them.

“History will remember the return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to northern Gaza, walking for dozens of kilometers with their belongings and children, determined to stay in their homes—even if they are in ruins,” he told Al-Estiklal. 

On the situation in the West Bank, Hanini said, “The Palestinian Resistance is caught between the Israeli Occupation and the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.”

He accused “Israel” of trying to push Palestinians into Jordan, but said, “Our people's resilience and determination will defeat these criminal plans.”

With U.S. backing, “Israel” waged a devastating assault on Gaza between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, killing and injuring more than 159,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while over 14,000 remain missing.

As a ceasefire was announced, “Israel” launched a massive attack on refugee camps in the northern West Bank, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm, leaving dozens dead and wounded.

The Displacement Plan

What is Hamas’ stance on Donald Trump’s provocative remarks about deporting Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to Jordan and Egypt?

The entire Palestinian people, along with all factions—not just Hamas—reject Trump’s statements and any reported plans suggesting the forced displacement of Palestinians, whether from the West Bank or Gaza. These remarks are offensive and unacceptable.

The Palestinian response was clear for the world to see. Hundreds of thousands of our people in Gaza returned to the north on foot, walking for miles while carrying their children and belongings. They crossed the deadly Israeli corridor at Netzarim and al-Rashid Street, determined to reclaim their homes, even if they were reduced to rubble.

These men, women, and children returned with dignity, defying the destruction left by the Israeli Occupation. They proved that no amount of devastation could erase their connection to their cities, camps, and lands.

They remained determined to return, triumphing over the Zionist-American plans for displacement and expulsion on a historic day that will be etched in history—marking both the anniversary of Isra and Mi'raj [the night journey and ascension of Prophet Muhammad PBUH] and the liberation of Occupied Jerusalem by Saladin.

It represents the clearest and most powerful response from the Palestinian people to U.S. President Trump's proposal, affirming that all plans for displacement and expulsion from our beloved homeland will fail and fall.

No matter the enemy's plans or what schemes the U.S. president has for the displacement of our people, the Palestinian people will thwart them and put an end to all efforts to forcibly relocate us.

Just as our people in Gaza foiled attempts at displacement, so too will our people in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem defeat every plot pushed by the U.S. President Donald Trump or orchestrated by the far-right Zionist movement in the Israeli Occupation.

Resistance in the West Bank

How does the release of Palestinian detainees impact support for the Resistance in the West Bank?

Resistance leaders have always vowed to do everything in their power to free our heroic prisoners from Israeli jails, which are nothing short of living graves. We’ve heard this commitment from top figures like Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al-Arouri, and Yahya Sinwar—all of whom have emphasized the goal of emptying Israeli prisons of Palestinian detainees.

Today, this promise is becoming a reality. We see our freed detainees returning to their families, walking out of Israeli prisons with their heads held high. Some may be forcibly displaced, but they emerge with dignity, thank God first, then thanks to the Resistance and the capture of Israeli soldiers and officers.

This is not just a promise fulfilled; it’s also a warning to the Israeli Occupation; and in the coming months, we’re set to see more detainees released, with the ultimate goal of emptying Israeli prisons entirely.

These men and women—whether from Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the Popular and Democratic Fronts, or any resistance faction—are our responsibility. The Resistance is committed to breaking their chains and reuniting them with their families. This is both a national and moral duty.

The release of our detainees is a moment of national celebration for all Palestinians. Today, nearly 10,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, including around 600 to 700 serving life sentences. Within the next 42 days, half of those serving life terms will be released. We will continue the journey with them; the leadership of the Resistance and the al-Qassam Brigades will stand by them in their fight for freedom, to bring joy to their families and bring happiness to their lives.

How coordinated is the Resistance in the West Bank?

The Palestinian Resistance in the West Bank stands united, just as it does in Gaza. Our people fight as one, shoulder to shoulder, in the face of Israeli zionist planes and crimes and its attempts to break their will.

They are united in the battlefield, in the streets, and in their defense of Palestinian dignity, land, and holy sites. They stand together in protecting the Occupied Jerusalem [al-Quds] and al-Aqsa Mosque—the very place of the Prophet Muhammad’s ascension.

They are at the forefront of defending the first Qibla and the third holiest site in Islam. So be sure, the Resistance in the West Bank and in the Occupied Jerusalem is strong, organized, and steadfast in confronting the zionist Israeli Occupation and its aggression.

How is Netanyahu appeasing the far-right at the expense of the West Bank?

Undoubtedly, the Zionist enemy is planning to swallow the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem specifically, to fulfill its historical dream of expelling Palestinians and establishing the Jewish kingdoms they believe were once established there, driving the Palestinians out.

Palestinians understand this plan all too well. That’s why they remain steadfast, resilient, and firmly rooted in their land, determined to thwart this diabolical scheme with all they have—no matter the scale of Israeli-Zionist brutality.

Israeli Aggression on the West Bank

How do you see the invasion of Jenin city and its refugee camp by the Israeli Occupation enemy, followed by the Palestinian Authority's actions, and the numerous crimes committed there?

The Israeli Occupation forces, following the temporary halt of their genocidal assault on Gaza, have launched a new wave of attacks in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem. They have begun with killing, demolitions, arson, and forced evictions in our Palestinian refugee camps, cities, and villages.

The Israeli Occupation regime seems to believe that this violence—this killing, destruction, and displacement—will force our people in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem to abandon their land and homes.

However, just as Gaza's steadfast Resistance thwarted every Israeli plan, our people and the Resistance in Gaza will continue to defeat every scheme the Israeli Occupation devises. Our people in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem are determined to resist every attempt to displace them from their cities and villages.

This is part of the plan of religious Zionism, led by criminals like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. Their agenda is to expel Palestinians to Jordan and create what they call a ‘substitute homeland’ there.

But despite these plans, the resilience, patience, and perseverance of our people in the West Bank will, by the grace of God, ensure that these criminal plots are thwarted.

How do you assess the situation in the West Bank, especially in light of what is happening in Jenin?

We will not forget what the criminal Smotrich declared in the early days of the formation of the current government, allied with religious Zionism, when he stated publicly that Palestinians in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem face three choices: either to be displaced to Jordan to establish a ‘substitute homeland,’ or to live under occupation, eating and drinking only, or to be killed. There is no other option.

The criminal Netanyahu also seeks to appease the terrorists Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and the settler thugs through the process of extermination, destruction, killing, and arson in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem. This is meant to silence them and prevent the collapse of his government following the halt of the genocidal campaign in Gaza.

We call for mercy for our heroic martyrs, swift recovery for our wounded, and freedom for our detainees. We also demand freedom, dignity, and independence for our Palestinian people, who continue to suffer under the oppressive Israeli occupation. However, they will succeed in thwarting the plans of religious Zionism that aim to swallow up the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem.

How does the Resistance confront the Israeli aggression in the West Bank cities?

The Palestinian people in the Jenin camp and across the West Bank are doing everything they can with their limited resources to resist the Israeli Occupation force, with its tanks, drones, aircraft, and overwhelming military capabilities.

This Resistance is a religious, national, and humanitarian duty to defend our land, honor, sanctities, rights, and dignity. However, the Israeli Occupation still acts foolishly, failing to realize that its crimes, killings, and destruction only strengthen our people's determination to confront it through active resistance.

History has taught us that the more the Israeli Occupation escalates its aggression and brutal crimes, the more determined our people become in resisting and defending their sanctities.

Today, as we and the free people of the world witness the scale of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, our people will not cease their resistance until they achieve their freedom, independence, and the purification of their holy sites, including the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

What are the features of the Palestinian Resistance strategy in confronting the repeated invasions of the Israeli Occupation in the cities of the West Bank?

The Palestinian Resistance in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem is resolute in its defense of our land, sanctities, honor, and dignity, using all available means and strength.

Indeed, the Resistance capabilities in the West Bank are limited and modest, primarily due to the absolute security control of the Israeli Occupation army over the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem, as well as the security coordination with the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus.

The Palestinian Resistance in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem is caught between the hammer of the Israeli Occupation and the anvil of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.

Resistance groups are pursued by the Israeli Occupation's army and security apparatus, as well as by the Palestinian Authority's forces, despite these harsh circumstances.

The Resistance strategy of our people in the West Bank and Occupied Jerusalem is to defend and resist the Israeli Occupation and its plans with all available tools, from stones to knives, from rifles to explosive devices, and even to car bombs.

Thus, with these limited resources, our people resist by voice, pen, demonstrations, and stones, confronting this Israeli occupation and ultimately thwarting its malevolent schemes.

What about the current situation of Resistance fighters in the West Bank, as they continue to be pursued by both the Israeli Occupation forces and the security apparatus of the Palestinian Authority?

What the security forces did in the Jenin camp by targeting the Resistance is a national mistake and a grave crime against both the Resistance and our Palestinian people.

These actions are tearing apart the unified Palestinian national fabric in the face of the enemy. It is the duty of these security apparatuses to protect our people and their property from the attacks of Israeli Zionist gangs and settler thugs, who wreak havoc on our land by burning homes, destroying them, damaging cars, and uprooting olive trees.

I affirm that what the security forces are doing today is highly dangerous and undermines the Palestinian social fabric in the West Bank.

The videos shared by members of the security apparatus on social media, showing humiliation and scenes usually associated with the Israeli Occupation's army, will drive our people towards internal conflict—a scenario that no free, honorable Palestinian would wish for.

It's vital for all true Fatah members, reform leaders, Palestinian factions, and civil society groups to unite and take action to halt these crimes.