The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has condemned an Israeli military court's decision to maintain a life sentence against the longest-serving Palestinian detainee Nael al-Barghouthi as a "desperate and failed attempt to break the will of the Palestinian detainees." 

"Al-Barghouthi is a unique Palestinian icon and one of the most prominent symbols of the modern Palestinian struggle," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem said. 

In a press statement Tuesday evening, Qasem reaffirmed that the issue of Palestinian detainees will remain a top priority for Hamas, vowing that the Palestinian resistance movement will continue its struggle to release all of them from Israeli occupation prisons.