A SENIOR Hamas official, Ahmed Yousef, has declared that the organisation is already re-arming itself and that international efforts to stop the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip would fail.

In an interview with he Herald, Dr Yousef, a senior adviser to Hamas's Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, said attempts at a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict were pointless.

"I'm gonna tell you that as long as there is occupation and there is a struggle, we will find our way to have more advanced weapons to defend ourselves," Dr Yousef said.

"Of course we are bringing in weapons because occupation and suffering, this is the equation, and that means the struggle will continue and the Palestinians will find their own way to defend themselves and how to make the enemy bleed."

Dr Yousef, who is considered a moderate face of Hamas, declared Israel's three-week assault on the Gaza Strip a victory for Hamas because it showed that military force cannot destroy the Palestinian people's desire for an independent state.