A high-ranking delegation from Hamas met Friday with secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ziyad al-Nakhala, in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. 

The Hamas delegation included Hamas deputy chief Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri and members of the Hamas politburo Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin.  

Held at al-Nakhala's office in Beirut, the meeting was attended by members of the PIJ politburo Akram al-Ajouri and Abdel Aziz Minawi, among other officials. 

The attendants discussed the latest developments concerning the Arab region and the Palestinian cause and the Israeli occupation's attempts to undermine the growing Palestinian resistance across occupied Palestine.     

Both delegations stated the following: 

1-    They saluted the Palestinian people at home and abroad and all Palestinian martyrs, including PIJ commanders Tayseer al-Jabari and Khalid Mansour, who were assassinated during the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza. 

2-    They reaffirmed that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine and will remain the core of the Palestinian struggle and a symbol of unity for the Palestinian people everywhere. The Israeli occupation's attempts to Judaise the holy city or divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque are bound to fail.     

3-    Highlighting the close ties between both movements, they vowed to continue their efforts to liberate Palestine and Palestinian holy sites. 

4-    Both movements stressed that any disagreement over a tactical approach would never affect their long-standing and strategic relationship.   

5-    They commended the meetings held recently between both movements, with the aim of cementing their relations in a way that serves the Palestinian people. 

6-    They expressed their support for the steps taken by Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons to protest their detention conditions, urging the Palestinian people to voice solidarity with them. 

7-    They affirmed that they would continue their joint efforts to achieve true Palestinian unity by forming a new National Council based on national principles. 

8-    They thanked all parties and countries that support the Palestinian resistance, particularly Iran and Hezbollah, alongside all Arab and Muslim parties that back the Palestinian people and their option of resistance.