“But it remains limited and symbolic if it is not supported by all means by all countries around the world,” said Bassem Naim, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Asked by AFP about the Deif mandate, a Hamas official who wished to remain anonymous said “there is no comparison between the criminal occupier and the victim”.

The Gaza war, sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, has left 1,206 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

About 250 hostages were captured during the attack, and 97 are still being held captive in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s military campaign of revenge has killed at least 44,056 people in more than 13 months of war, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.