78th anniversary of al-Nakba
Hamas says, ‘Resistance is a natural and legitimate right.’

Hamas issued the following press statement on May 15, 2026, on the Hamas Online English Mirror.

Seventy-eight years have passed since the occupation of the blessed land of Palestine, during which this Zionist enemy has committed the most horrific massacres and crimes against our land, people and holy sites, escalating its aggressive war and plans — the latest of which was the genocide, starvation and ethnic cleansing against the Gaza Strip over two full years, with their grave humanitarian repercussions and consequences continuing unabated.

The fascist occupation government is blatantly and deliberately persisting in breaching the ceasefire agreement through systematic bombardment and direct targeting of civilians, resulting in the martyrdom of over 850 civilians since the agreement came into effect last October, constituting a flagrant violation of all international norms, conventions and laws, as well as an exposed attempt to intensify pressure, blackmail and impose a fait accompli that the enemy has failed to achieve.

This racist, fascist government also continues its war and aggression on the West Bank, Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque through colonial settlement and Judaization projects, forced displacement, provocative stormings into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the imposition of unjust laws — the latest of which is the execution law against our prisoners in its jails, placing before all states, U.N. institutions and rights and humanitarian groups their political, legal and historical responsibilities to put an end to this Zionist arrogance and curb its reign of terror and criminality.

Seventy-eight years on, the great Palestinian people remain steadfast on their land, sticking to their rights and principles, defending their identity and holy sites and demonstrating — at every stage of conflict with the enemy — the finest examples of heroism, sacrifice, patience, struggle and devotion. All the occupation’s attempts — despite the passing years — to erode Palestinian consciousness, undermine the resistance, obliterate the cause or erase or marginalize it have ended in abject failure, and all its aggressive plans against our people in Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the 1948-occupied land will similarly shatter before the steadfastness of this great people and their rallying behind the comprehensive resistance project as the path toward liberating the land and holy sites.

We, in the Hamas Movement, on the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, pray for the souls of the martyred leaders and all the martyrs of our people on the land of Palestine and outside, whose blood and sacrifices will remain fuel for the masses of our people in our ongoing battle until the Zionist enemy is defeated. We ask Almighty Allah to grant a speedy recovery to the wounded and sick and freedom to the prisoners in the enemy’s jails. We affirm the following:

First: The crime of displacing our people from their land 78 years ago, through massacres and systematic terrorism, was a horrific and unprecedented crime in modern history and a blatant violation of all values, laws, conventions and norms. It is also the same policy that the fascist occupation government continues to pursue and apply today in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, in full view of the world, without any action taken to stop such terrorism, which has gone beyond the borders of Palestine and now poses a real threat to the security and stability of the region and the world.

Second: The Zionist occupation has no legitimacy or sovereignty over our blessed historic land, at the heart of which is Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque — the apex of the struggle with the enemy. The occupation will never succeed in erasing their identity or Judaizing them, since the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has been and will always remain an exclusively Islamic site, and our people will remain attached to Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine, will never allow altering facts of history and reality and will continue to offer the sacrifices for their liberation.

Third: Resistance in all its forms for the peoples under occupation is a natural and legitimate right guaranteed by all international laws and conventions and divine laws. The arms of the resistance in Palestine are linked to the existence of the occupation itself, and any discussion about the resistance’s disarmament, while the occupation and its crimes persist, constitutes alignment with the enemy’s agenda of imposing control, entrenching aggression and erasing the essence of our just issue.

Fourth: The root cause of the conflict in the region is the existence of the Zionist occupation on the land of Palestine. Its continued aggression and crimes over the past 78 years remain a stain of shame on all those who remain silent or fail to criminalize, expose and prosecute its leaders. Bias toward the occupation and the policy of double standards adopted by some countries in dealing with our just cause constitute a grave moral failure. We call on them to reverse these positions and enable our people to regain their rights, self-determination and end the occupation.

Fifth: We commend the sacrifices of our prisoners in the occupation’s prisons and affirm that we will remain loyal to them. We warn the occupation against escalating its violations and crimes against them and hold it fully responsible for their lives and safety. We call on the U.N. and rights and humanitarian groups to intervene by all means to criminalize the execution law against our prisoners, pressure the occupation to annul it, stop the systematic violations against them and release them immediately.

Sixth: The right of return for the millions of Palestinian refugees, currently living in camps in Palestine and in diaspora, to their homes from which they were forcibly displaced by the criminal acts of the occupation is a sacred right, at individual and collective levels, and nobody has the right to abandon it. We renew our call for providing a free and dignified life for all Palestinian refugees until their return to their homeland, Palestine.

Seventh: We call upon the masses of our Palestinian people wherever they are to continue their steadfastness and struggle, hold fast to their rights and national identity, strengthen the bonds of solidarity, cooperation and national unity, reject all projects of displacement, ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination and strengthen all forms of resistance against the enemy’s plans and its colonial-settlers, until the liberation of the land, Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the prisoners and the realization of the right of return to Palestine.

Eighth: We call upon our Arab and Islamic Ummah (community) — leaders and peoples, government and popular groups — to strengthen solidarity and support for the steadfastness and struggle of the Palestinian people, to activate all forms of support with our people in Gaza and heal their wounds, to support the steadfastness of the defenders of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque and to empower our people to defend themselves, secure their rights, liberate their land and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Ninth: We hail all Arab, Muslim and international positions supporting the rights of our people and our just cause. We commend the global activism standing in solidarity with Gaza, the prisoners and Al-Aqsa Mosque and exposing the occupation’s crimes and aggressive plans.

We call on all the masses and advocacy groups supporting Palestinian rights to continue their solidarity and strengthen their support by all means, in every capital, city and public square around the world, in the name of justice and in support of our people’s right to freedom and self-determination.