Hamas leaders were honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the "Fifth International Conference In Support of Palestine Intifada" held in Tehran last October.
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To mark its 24th anniversary in December, Hamas' armed wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam, boasted killing 1,365 Israelis since its founding and firing over 11,000 rockets at Israel.
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Addressing a rally to mark the anniversary, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh promised to "lead intifada after intifada" until Palestine was "liberated."
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Held under the banner of "Jerusalem, We are Coming," the Dec. 14 rally was attended by many children dressed in military outfits and brandishing fake weapons.
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"Anyone who thinks that Hamas has, or will, change is living under an illusion," said Hamas official Osama Hamdan in the wake of the group's agreement to join the PLO.
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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: "We promise you that we will not cede a single part of Palestine, we will not cede Jerusalem, we will continue to fight and we will not lay down our arms." (Jan. 8)
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Hamas has warned the Palestinian Authority against returning to talks with Israel. "We demand a boycott of this meeting," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.
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Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar: "Hamas will never give up its armed struggle against the Zionist enemy." (Jan. 23)
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At a February rally marking the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh vowed that his group would never recognize Israel.
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Taking advantage of the turmoil in the region, Hamas has smuggled advanced weaponry from Libya and established forward bases in the Sinai Peninsula.
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