In a fiery speech Saturday, December 8 before a mammoth rally in Gaza City marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, the political leader of the terrorist group, pledged that it would never recognize Israel and called for an Islamic Palestinian state on the territory of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, The Washington Post reported. Mashaal spoke during his first visit to Gaza, a triumphant tour after a recent eight-day war between Hamas and Israel. Mashaal, who has led Hamas from exile, used the occasion to reiterate the group’s long-held principles, calling for “armed resistance” to eliminate Israel. “Palestine, from the river to the sea, from north to south, is our land,” he said, “Not an inch of it can be conceded.”