BEIRUT – Throughout his honorable tireless life, specifically since the outbreak of the “Al-Aqsa Intifada” in 2000 until his assassination in 2020, Maj Gen. Qassem Soleimani supported Palestine, its people, cause and resistance, in every possible way.

“The martyr commander Soleimani sacrificed himself for Palestine and its people, so he is ‘The Martyr of al-Quds’,” confirmed Ismail Haniyeh, the martyr Hamas leader. He repeated the title “The Martyr of al-Quds” three times.

Following his appointment as commander of the “Quds Force”, Gen. Soleimani got closely acquainted with most of the Palestinian resistance movements.

Over the years, this rapprochement strengthened until Gen. Soleimani joined Hamas and the Islamic Jihad’s joint operations room during the 2008 Israeli aggression.

“In 2017, Major General Soleimani communicated with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the al-Quds Brigades, confirming that Iran, the Revolutionary Guards, and the al-Quds Force all stand with our people with everything they possess, in defense of al-Quds so that it remains the State of Palestine’s capital. He clearly stated that all our capabilities and potential are at your disposal in defense of al-Quds. Soleimani did not stipulate or ask for anything in return,” affirmed Martyr Yahya al-Sinwar, who met Gen. Soleimani in Tehran

Gen. Soleimani addressed Martyr al-Sinwar: “I love Palestine. I love al-Quds. I love everything that would enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.”

Despite the comprehensive siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, Gen. Soleimani was determined to train its resistance forces on how to manufacture long-range missiles,

asserted Ziad al-Nakhalah, the Islamic Jihad secretary general.

“In person, Martyr Soleimani supervised and managed the procedures of smuggling the missiles. He toured between more than one country to convince them to approve the procedure. He traveled to Sudan to conclude with the concerned parties an agreement that facilitated it. Transporting the missiles has been a complex matter – almost miraculous – as it has required crossing vast geographical areas – by land and sea – to reach Gaza,” Al-Nakhalah has acknowledged.

In this regard, Al-Nakhala states, “All classical weapons and long-range missiles have reached Gaza through Martyr Qassem Soleimani. In 2012, and despite the war, we obtained the Kornet missiles.”

For his part, Abu Hamza, spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, points out that – for two decades – Martyr Soleimani “has overseen Iran’s direct support for Palestine, and the transfer of military and security expertise to its Mujahideen.”

Khaled al-Qaddoumi, Hamas’ representative in Iran, says Gen. Soleimani “was not only a firm believer but also a distinguished figure on the military and political levels, as he helped the Palestinian resistance in various aspects. One of his most important contributions to the Palestinian Resistance, in addition to transferring weapons, was strengthening it in the military field.”

Gen. Soleimani obviously helped enable the Palestinian resistance to dig tunnel networks, according to Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon.

“The idea of the tunnels has been basically proposed by two people, Martyr commander Imad Mughniyeh and Martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani,” Abdul-Hadi states, adding, “Martyr Soleimani visited Gaza more than once to participate in the defense plans.”

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mansour Haqiqatpour, Gen. Soleimani’s former assistant, confirms that the Gaza tunnels will remain a nightmare for the occupation regime because Gen. Soleimani had already taken into consideration various emergency scenarios and potential challenges.

Haqiqatpour reveals that Commander Soleimani planned with the resistance in Gaza to dig tunnels extending over an area of 400 Km² under an area of roughly 40 Km².

On January 1, 2024, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas prominent leader, further reiterated “Martyr Soleimani’s tangible role in the ongoing battle [Operation Al-Aqsa Flood].”

Based on multiple testimonies he has repeatedly received from the Palestinian Resistance’s leading figures, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has often highlighted Gen. Soleimani’s pro-Palestine unwavering efforts.

The Leader stresses that Gen. Soleimani “provided the Palestinians with all their military needs, doing everything that would help a very tiny area like the Gaza Strip confront the Zionist entity, despite all its arrogant claims. Thanks to what Hajj Qassem Soleimani has done, calamities befell the Zionists, prompting them – only after 48 hours – to seek a ceasefire.”