GAZA, Palestine 

A leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Wednesday that Israel's attempts to liken Hamas to the Daesh/ISIS terror group are to "justify its annihilation of Palestinian people and bloodshed" in the Gaza Strip.

“Any attempts to demonize the Palestinian resistance, and likening it to ISIS are baseless,” Talal Abu Zarifa told Anadolu. "Hamas entered into an armed confrontation with (ISIS) and eliminated them in the Gaza Strip in the past few years."

“What Hamas is doing is an integral part of what the Palestinian people are doing in the face of the occupation that seizes the land and desecrates the sanctities, and this is guaranteed by resolutions of international legitimacy,” said the left-wing Palestine leader.

He pointed out that "Palestinian factions work within a national framework through an operations room, which determines the form and means by which we confront the occupation." He said, "No Palestinian party is allowed to take steps that contradict the national consensus or harm the interest of the Palestinian cause alone."

On the other side, Abu Zarifa stressed that Israel "is committing massacres and genocidal war in the Gaza Strip" in violation of international and humanitarian laws.

Israeli officials have frequently described the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, as “neo-Nazis”, “ISIS”, and “Al-Qaeda," since the start of the current escalation on Oct. 7, when it launched a surprise attack against Israel.

The Israeli response with a bombardment caused widespread destruction in the area, according to witnesses.

Israel responded by launching a massive bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried a fraction of what is needed.