Haniyeh: 'Gaza proudly salutes those fighting in the occupied West Bank'

Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said today that the blood of the martyrs who are revolting in support of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque would light the path to liberate the Palestinian people.

During his visit to the Palestine Medical Complex in Gaza to visit those injured during the Jerusalem Intifada, Haniyeh stressed: “Despite the deep wounds suffered by Gaza in light of the blockade and the effects of the Israeli wars, it will not back down or withdraw from its role in protecting Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

He also praised the morale of those wounded in the Jerusalem Intifada in Gaza “as determination and insistence was clear on the faces of the Gazans who took action to support their people in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.”

Haniyeh stressed that the continuation of the aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Judaisation of Jerusalem, and going forwards with the plans to temporally and spatially divide Al-Aqsa will set off and anger the Palestinian people and the entire nation.

“The Jerusalem Intifada has entered its third week and it is sending its message with knives, slingshots and individual as well as popular acts of heroism, that the holy city is not only a red line, but the focus of the conflict with the occupation,” he added.

The Hamas official continued: “We in Gaza proudly salute the Palestinian people who are fighting in the occupied West Bank and who are on the verge of dying a martyrs’ death. We salute you and your perseverance.”

He also sent a message to the Arab and Muslim nations, calling on them to engage in the battle to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque and to overcome their own conflicts in order to support Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

Haniyeh praised the medical staff and cadres for their tremendous efforts in light of the difficult conditions and the lack of supplies in Gaza. He said they were in the right place and they are providing a service to the Palestinian people in light of the Israeli blockade.

Areas along Gaza’s eastern and northern borders are witnessing daily clashes with Israeli occupation forces due to the demonstrations supporting the uprising in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Images by MEMO photographer: Mohammad Asad.