The Al-Quds Brigades struck Israeli forces near Shati and Tel al-Hawa as PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah vowed that Palestinians “will not surrender,” stressing that negotiations hinge on prisoner exchange and a full Israeli withdrawal.
The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, released on Wednesday new footage documenting its fighters’ targeting of Israeli occupation forces northwest of the Shati refugee camp and north of the Netzarim axis in the Gaza Strip.
According to a group’s statement, resistance fighters fired mortar shells at Israeli positions, and the video showed members of the Brigades launching the shells. Earlier, the Al-Quds Brigades broadcast footage showing the detonation of a heavy explosive device against an Israeli military vehicle in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
In parallel, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, announced that its fighters targeted two Israeli military vehicles with “Yasin 105” missiles, killing and wounding several soldiers near the Jouret al-Lut clinic, south of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
‘The Harshest Battle’
On the second anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah delivered a televised address on Al Mayadeen Media Network, affirming that the Palestinian Resistance continues to fight on both the battlefield and the negotiating front.
“We are fighting the harshest battle and we will not surrender,” al-Nakhalah declared, describing the military struggle and the ongoing negotiations as complementary fronts in the same confrontation.
WATCH | The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades releases footage showing the detonation of an explosive planted by its fighters against an Israeli military vehicle during its incursion into the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/LY0bEHkeFv
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 7, 2025
He stated that the Resistance’s readiness to enter negotiations is conditional and limited. “We expressed readiness to negotiate on the basis that there are clauses that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner-exchange clause,” he said, emphasizing that Palestinian prisoners remain a top humanitarian and national priority.
Al-Nakhalah stressed that “Hamas and the Resistance factions insist that captives will only be freed under a committed, enforceable deal that ends the war.”
The PIJ leader sharply rejected the plan advanced by US President Donald Trump, describing it as “a declaration of full Palestinian surrender to the Israeli enemy.”
He warned that the so-called peace proposal aims to secure through negotiations what Israel failed to achieve through two years of war. “If the enemy insists on achieving by negotiations what it could not achieve by war, then we must stand strong,” al-Nakhalah said.
“The enemy and its allies threaten us continuously with killing and destruction if we do not surrender — have they not done that already?” he added, stressing that Palestinians “cannot surrender after all the sacrifices made.”
Addressing the Palestinian people and Resistance fighters, al-Nakhalah affirmed that “Palestine stands at a strategic crossroads, but the path of justice is clear.”
“We must emerge from this battle with our heads held high,” he said, vowing that Palestinians “will not raise the banners of surrender over Gaza.”
Hamas Exchanges Prisoner Release Lists with Israel as Ceasefire Talks Continue
He reiterated that the struggle must preserve dignity and inherent rights. “We are rightful owners [of our cause], and we must fight to reclaim our rights,” he underscored.
Marking two years since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, al-Nakhalah praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the ongoing resistance in the face of Israeli aggression.
“For two years, the Palestinian people have remained patient and defiant and refused to surrender. For two years, the valiant Resistance has not ceased to fight the enemy and to inflict losses in the field day after day,” he said.
He noted that “Israel continues to kill and destroy everything,” yet Palestinians remain steadfast, while “the aggression has mobilized global conscience in solidarity with our people.”
Sharm el-Sheikh Negotiations
Meanwhile, ceasefire talks are ongoing in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, as delegations from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States attempt to advance President Trump’s 20-point framework for a phased truce, Israeli withdrawal, and prisoner exchange.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirmed that recent sessions included “four hours of delicate negotiations,” emphasizing that all sides accepted the framework in principle but “the obstacles now lie in its implementation.”
Hamas spokesperson Taher al-Nounou said the movement entered the talks with a “positive and responsible” approach, focusing on an agreement that guarantees a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal, and the reconstruction of Gaza under Palestinian supervision.
Al-Nounou confirmed that the latest round saw the exchange of prisoner lists and that mediators are exerting “serious efforts to remove obstacles” to implementation.
Trump described the negotiations as moving at a “very rapid and highly successful pace,” and confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are leading the American delegation.
However, Resistance factions continue to insist that any deal must guarantee Palestinian sovereignty, self-determination, and the complete end of Israel’s war on Gaza — principles that al-Nakhalah reaffirmed as non-negotiable.
(PC, AJA, Al Mayadeen)
Bravo fihjters so brave.