The Hamas movement mourned its political bureau chief Yehya Sinwar on Friday, who was killed by the Israeli army on Wednesday in an operation in the Gaza Strip, asserting that this will only increase its "strength and resilience".

Member of the Political Bureau of Hamas Khalil Al-Hayya said in a televised speech on Friday: "We mourn the great national leader, the brother, the martyr Yehya Sinwar," who was killed "armed, fighting and confronting the occupation army at the forefront of the ranks."

He added that the killing of Sinwar "and all the leaders and symbols of the movement who preceded him... will only increase our movement and resistance in strength, resilience, and determination to continue on their path."

Yehya Sinwar, 61, had led the Palestinian Islamic movement in Gaza since 2017, before being appointed head of its political bureau in early August to succeed Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31 in an attack attributed to Israel.

On Friday, the movement responded to a wave of international calls that followed Sinwar's killing, urging the release of the Israeli hostages held by them since their unprecedented attack on the Hebrew state on October 7, 2023.

"The captives will not return to you except with the cessation of aggression."

Al-Hayya confirmed: "We say to those mourning for the occupation's captives with the resistance that these captives will not return to you except with the cessation of aggression against our people in Gaza and the complete withdrawal from it, along with the release of the heroic captives from the occupation's prisons."

Of the 251 people kidnapped during the Hamas attack, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 that the army says have died.

Israel responded with a devastating bombing campaign and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 42,438 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, according to the latest data from the Hamas health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.

Al-Hayya concluded: "We are moving forward in the path of Hamas, and the spirit of the Al-Aqsa flood will remain its flame alive in the hearts of our people."

For its part, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, mourned Sinwar. It affirmed in a statement that "the path of jihad will not cease" until "the liberation of Palestine," considering that Israel is mistaken if it thinks that "by assassinating the leaders of the resistance... it will cause them to retreat."

The announcement of Sinwar's death sparked reactions in the region, especially from parties belonging to what is known as the "Axis of Resistance" opposed to Israel, led by Tehran, which includes the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, Iraqi factions, and the Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Beizakian: "Palestinian resistance will not cease."

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi considered that Sinwar will remain a "source of inspiration" for fighting against Israel in the Middle East.

For his part, Iranian President Masoud Beizakian confirmed that the Palestinian "resistance" will not "cease" with the assassination of the Hamas leader.

Hezbollah expressed its condolences for Sinwar, who "stood against the American project and the Zionist occupation," affirming its support "for the Palestinian people."

In Yemen, the Houthis expressed condolences for Sinwar. Their official spokesman, Mohammed Abdelsalam, confirmed that Gaza and the Palestinian cause "are destined for victory no matter the sacrifices.”