The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas joins South Africans in mourning the death of Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who left us on Monday.

We were deeply saddened to hear about her death.

Mama Winnie was an icon of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, provided leadership to the resistance movement during some of its darkest and most difficult days, standing firm against the forces of oppression, racism and exploitation.

Her valiant and fearless struggle against the apartheid system saw her sacrifice her youth, her family and her life for the freedom of her people and her country.

She became a symbol not only for South Africans but for all justice-loving and freedom-seeking people around the world.

Her courage and her refusal to compromise with her oppressors, despite a year and a half of solitary confinement, and years of banning and exile, have strengthened the spirit of millions of strugglers for justice, and, especially, large numbers of Palestinians who have refused to bent down to Zionist oppression, occupation and apartheid.

The manner in which she continued confronting the forces of injustice spurs us, the Palestinians, to remain committed to resisting apartheid and occupation, by whatever means available.

The Israeli occupation needs to be confronted by those who possess the revolutionary spirit of Mama Winnie.

We mourn from the bottoms of our hearts the loss of a great leader, a fighter for freedom and a symbol of resistance.

We express our deepest condolences to the Madikizela and Mandela families for the loss of their mother, to our comrades in the African National Congress for the loss of a leader and comrade and to the government and people of South Africa for the loss of an icon and a consistent voice for freedom and justice.