Hamas military wing praises ‘martyrs’ killed defending occupied Palestinian village 

The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, praised its “martyrs” yesterday who were killed helping to defend the Palestinian village of Bedo near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Earlier on Sunday, local sources reported that four Palestinians were killed and nine others were wounded in two different exchanges of fire with Israeli occupation forces.

Al-Qassam Brigades named three of them in its statement as field commander Ahmed Zahran, along with Zakaria Badwan and Mahmoud Hmeedan. All of the “martyrs,” said Al-Qassam Brigades, came from Bedo.

“The martyrs were killed during an exchange of fire with Israeli special forces that raided the hills outside Jerusalem at dawn,” said the group. “They died defending themselves from the Israeli occupation forces which raided Palestinian territories.” It called for the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to get involved in a war of attrition with the Israeli occupation.

READ: Israel forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank

Meanwhile, the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Palestine, Al-Quds Brigades, named the fourth “martyr” as Usama Soboh, who was killed in Jenin. He was one of its members and was killed by Israeli occupation forces which raided the Palestinian city.

In a joint statement, the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza said, “We salute the blessed hands which were involved in clashes with the aggressive Zionist enemy. The blood of the Palestinian martyrs has not been shed in vain. It enlightens the path of resistance.”

The statement concluded with the Palestinian factions calling for the Palestinian Authority to stop its security cooperation with the Israeli occupation authorities, and to free the way ahead for the resistance groups “to fulfil their duty and protect the Palestinian people from Israeli raids.”