Iran-Backed Iraqi Militias: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Is Great Victory Achieved Through Steadfastness And Unity Of Arenas; Israel Understands Only Force; 'Our Finger Is Still On The Trigger'

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

On January 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas reached a 42-day ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to U.S. President Joe Biden and other officials involved in the negotiations.

The Iran-backed Iraqi militias welcomed the agreement and described it as a great victory achieved through the steadfastness of the resistance forces and the triumph of the concept of "unity of the arenas." They claimed that it has exposed Israel's "fragility," and proved once again that Israel "understands only force." The militias asserted that the Iraqi resistance had fulfilled its obligation to the Palestinians and warned it would respond "with full force" to any attempt to weaken the rights of the Palestinians.

Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia leader Akram Al-Ka'abi explicitly declared a suspension of his organization's military operations against Israel, but warned, "Our finger is still on the trigger."

The following statements were released by the Iran-backed Iraqi militias on January 15, 2025:

The Iran-backed Iraqi Sarkhat Al-Quds Brigades militia posted a statement on its Telegram channel in which it congratulated "the heroes of the Palestinian resistance" for their great victory. It praised the martyrs from Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Iran-backed Iraqi militias who "sacrificed themselves for the sake of liberation," and asserted that the Iraqi resistance fulfilled "its religious obligation to assist with the Palestinian issue, to the best of its ability." The organization declared that it will continue to closely monitor events and stressed that it has the capability "to respond with full force to any agreement whose aim is to weaken the rights of the Palestinian people. We are prepared for any unexpected development and will not be remiss in our assistance to our shared issue, Palestine, until total liberation."[1]

Akram Al-Ka'abi posted a statement on his Telegram channel in which he congratulated the Palestinian people, Iran, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis), and the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and in Iraq for "the great victory." He declared a suspension of his organization's military operations against Israel – "in solidarity with the halt to military operations in Palestine and so as to strengthen the continuation of the ceasefire in Gaza." At the same time, he threatened Israel that any "stupid act" on its part, in Palestine or in the region, would be met with a harsh response – "Our finger is still on the trigger, and our missiles and drones are fully prepared [to respond]. If they renew [fire] we will do the same."[2]

In a post on the movement's Telegram channel, Jawad Rahim Al-Sa'edi, head of the Iraqi Shi'ite political party the Jihad and Construction Movement, also known as the Hizbullah Movement in Iraq, congratulated the members of the resistance in Palestine for "their great victory" and asserted that it was achieved by means of "the steadfast and mythic stance" of the Palestinian people and the resistance factions, headed by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Sa'edi added that the victory belongs to the entire axis of resistance, "from Gaza to South Lebanon and from Iraq and Yemen to Iran," and claimed that they all achieved "the unity of the arenas and the unification of the fronts to confront the Zionist enemy and those who stand behind it." Al-Sa'edi declared that recent events prove that "the enemy understands only the language of force," and have exposed "its fragility in the face of the blows of the resistance." He praised the supportive role played by Iran during the campaign and added that this campaign "proved that Palestine is our compass and the center of our struggle against the global forces of arrogance."[3]

The Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia posted a letter on its official Telegram channel[4] from its fighters to the movement's leader, Akram Al-Ka'abi. In their letter, the fighters congratulate their leader for "the clear divine victory" and praise him for his steadfast stand in the campaign as "a shield for the oppressed" and for the military operations which he led against "the bases of the American occupation in Iraq and in Syria and even in the hearts of the Zionist bases and settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories." They also laud him for conducting himself in accordance with "his religious obligation which derives [its authority] from the patron of the Muslims [an allusion to Iranian leader Khamenei]," and declare their allegiance and commitment to continue to operate under "his wise leadership" until "the greatest victory and the sacred appearance."[5]

It is notable that the ceasefire agreement also elicited responses from the Houthis who lauded "the heroic resistance" against Israel in all the arenas,[6] and also the resistance demonstrated by the Palestinian factions, who for their part praised the support they received from Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, and called for the continuation of the international pressure to dismantle "the Zionist occupation."[7]