GAZA, Mar 16 (NNN-WAFA) – The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), yesterday warned Israel against any change in the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, saying, any change “would turn the area into an earthquake.”
Marwan Issa, deputy chief of staff of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, made the warning in an interview with Al-Aqsa TV, a Gaza-based satellite channel run by Hamas.
The remarks came, amid warnings of increased tensions between the two sides, especially in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as the holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday approach.
“There is no political process and the enemy has annulled Oslo treaties (signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993), so the coming days will be full of events and incidents,” Issa said.
He called for “igniting and supporting resistance action in all Palestine, mainly in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” adding, “We will defend the Palestinian people with all force when direct intervention is required.”
In Apr, 2022, Al-Aqsa Mosque compound witnessed violent clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police forces, when Jews visited the holy site. Dozens of Palestinian worshippers were injured.
The Hamas threats also came amid escalating tensions in the West Bank, which flared up in Jan.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said, Israeli soldiers killed 84 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since Jan, while 14 Israelis were killed during the same period.– NNN-WAFA