Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, reiterated on Friday, August 2nd, 2024, that his movement will not recognize Israel, stating that "the killing of our leaders only strengthens our people."

Meshaal delivered these remarks during the funeral ceremony for Hamas's former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, and his bodyguard, Wasim Abu Shaaban, at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab Mosque in the Qatari capital, Doha.

"There will be no compromise on our principles, and no recognition of Israel," Meshaal said, according to Turkey's official Anadolu Agency. "Our people will remain united, following the path of jihad, resistance, and reclaiming our rights."

He questioned, "Our enemies [referring to Israel] never learn their lesson. They have been killing our leaders for a century, what has happened?" Answering his own question, he asserted, "Every time a leader falls, another rises. This only strengthens our people."

Meshaal emphasized, "Our enemies do not know that we live as mujahideen, and we die as martyrs. We are skilled at creating life and creating death, by the will of God."

He added, "The loss of our brother [Haniyeh] is a great one, but our enemies do not know that the blood of martyrs shortens the path to freedom and victory."

Meshaal continued, "We will remain steadfast on our path. Pressure will not work on us, threats and intimidation will not break us, and will not make us deviate from our principles even by a hair's breadth."

He asserted, "Palestine will remain, from its sea to its river, from its north to its south. Jerusalem is our Qibla and our goal, and there is no place for Zionists on the land of Palestine."

Meshaal went on to say, "We tell the leaders of the nation, it is time for the nation to regain its sanity."

He added, "Haniyeh lived among his people in the Shatea refugee camp in Gaza, feeling their pain and sharing their joys."

"He served his cause, his people, and Jerusalem," Meshaal continued. "He served as a mujahid and a preacher, preserving the Quran, and he served as Prime Minister. He was among his people, never leaving them. He only left Gaza to fight for his cause throughout the world."

On Wednesday, Hamas and Iran announced that Haniyeh was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, the day after he attended the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Tel Aviv has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Haniyeh's assassination comes amidst a devastating war launched by Israel, with full US support, against Gaza since October 7th, 2023. The war has left over 130,000 Palestinians dead or injured, most of them children and women, and over 10,000 missing.

Israel continues its war, ignoring the UN Security Council's resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the International Court of Justice's orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.