Haniyeh urges Palestinians to break al-Aqsa siege on first of Ramadan
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Hamas' leader called on all supporters of the Palestinian people to intensify their efforts of support ahead of the upcoming Holy month of Ramadan.
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The head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, speaks during a televised address on February 28, 2024. (Al Mayadeen)
The head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, urged Palestinians to break the Israeli-enforced blockade on one of Islam's holiest sites, al-Aqsa Mosque, on the first day of Ramadan, which will commence next month.
Addressing the annual report of "The Situation of al-Quds 2023," Haniyeh stressed that the Israeli occupation and its partner, the United States, will not be able "to obtain through [political means] what they did not obtain through combat."
The leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement made the remark in response to ongoing Israeli-US political mobilization to force the Palestinian Resistance into an unfavorable deal.
"Any flexibility we show in negotiations out of concern for the blood of our people is matched by [our] willingness to defend our people," Haniyeh underlined.
He urged the world, especially friendly Arab states, to restrain "Israel" and prevent it from invading the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, Rafah.
Haniyeh reiterated the fact that ending Israeli violations against al-Aqsa Mosque and its worshippers was the main driver behind Operation al-Aqsa Flood. He explained that the occupation is "delusional" if it believes that increasing restrictions against worshippers would dilute the effects of the operation.
In this context, he called on the Palestinians "to break the siege of al-Aqsa (Mosque) on the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan."
He explained that the movement would only accept the affairs in al-Aqsa Mosque to correspond to international resolution, saying such a situation would be the "bare minimum" of the movement's expectations.
Currently, the occupation has blocked all the entrances to the complex, allowing only a few dozen worshippers in. Concurrently, extremist settlers have been allowed into the complex, under the protection of occupation forces, deliberately violating the sanctity of the site.
It is worth noting that during the Holy month of Ramadan, tens to hundreds of thousands of Muslim worshippers head to the complex to pray. The current status quo in al-Quds has been warned against by members of the Israeli intelligence services who believe that restricting worshippers' movements will have dire consequences for the Israeli regime's security.
To conclude, Haniyeh called on all Resistance forces supporting Gaza, urging them to intensify their operations against the Israeli occupation, adding that al-Aqsa Mosque is "the compass for [the Axis of Resistance]."
Read more: US requests Rafah invasion pause during Ramadan, fears escalation
