Sami Abu Zuhri
Sami Abu ZuhriReuters

A spokesman for the Hamas terrorist group stressed on Wednesday that the group will never recognize Israel.

The spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Hamas would remain faithful to its principles and will act to implement the national reconciliation and unite the Palestinian people behind the Palestinian problem, Jerusalem, the resistance and the prisoners until the last grain of the land is liberated.

He spoke at the opening session of the 26th International Conference of the Association of Islamic Organizations (ESAM) taking place in Istanbul.

"Hamas has succeeded in turning the resistance from a limited one into a people's culture which is a source of pride,” declared Abu Zuhri.

"Therefore, those who say they want to stop the resistance and dismantle the arms of the resistance [organizations] are delusional, because these dreams will not come true as the resistance is strong and capable,” he added.

The comments come in the wake of the reconciliation agreement recently signed between Hamas and its longtime rival Fatah, headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Shortly after the agreement was signed, Hamas sent a high-ranking delegation to Iran, where its deputy leader, sanctioned terrorist Salah Al-Aruri, declared that the group would never agree to sever its ties with Iran and give up the armed struggle against “the Zionist regime”.