Israel fully responsible for continued attacks on civilians

Photo used for illustration purposes only
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GAZA, Palestine – Israel is fully responsible for the continued targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip, the leader of the Hamas said on Saturday.

Anadolu Agency quoted Ismail Haniyeh saying in a statement that Israel’s heinous attack on the Al-Shati refugee camp early on Saturday was a continuation of the massacres it has carried out in different parts of the besieged Palestinian territory.

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At least 10 Palestinian civilians, including eight children, were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed and destroyed a residential house in the Al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City.

The Hamas leader said Israel’s massacres in the Gaza Strip “reveal the impotence and failure of the enemy and the dilemma it faces because of the great resistance.”

Haniyeh vowed that Palestinian resistance forces “will keep defending their people and will defeat the enemy army and prevent it from continuing its massacres.”

A total of 139 people, including 39 children and 22 women, have been killed and 950 more injured since Israel started attacks on Gaza last Monday.

The air raids on Gaza were preceded by days of tensions and Israeli aggression in occupied East Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinians were assaulted by Israeli forces and settlers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Tensions spread from occupied East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate for Israeli assaults if they were not halted.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Support struggle proactively

The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang meanwhile hoped that Muslim countries will proactively support the Palestinian struggle in defending its sovereignty and to oppose the Israeli Zionist regime.

He said in the current situation, the Muslim community the world over should support the uprising of a united Palestinian people, not only throughout Palestine but also in Israel.

“Palestinian Arabs, both Muslims and Christians alike, have risen. We are very happy that the Arab people around Palestine have been supporting the move with strong enthusiasm.

“Israeli Zionists have erred in steps such as ‘mengusik sarang tebuan’ (poking a hornet’s nest) by invading the Sheikh Jarrah area, expelling Palestinians from their homes to be inhabited by Jewish immigrants, as well as invading the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.

Abdul Hadi said this in his keynote address ‘Liberation of Palestine: The Continuous Struggle’ at the #Aid4Palestine Campaign launching ceremony held virtually yesterday night, which was also attended by the Grand Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque Dr Sheikh Ekrima Said Sabri.

The campaign, mobilised by the Sekretariat#Aid4Palestine, under the Office of the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, is a collaborative effort of more than 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), aiming to raise funds, via crowdfunding, of RM1 million to be channelled directly to Palestine.

The contribution can be channelled through the NGO Muslim Care Malaysia (Maybank: 5644-9021-1159), Tabung Palestin-Amal Malaysia (Bank Islam: 13053010006474) and Cakna Palestin (Maybank: 5530-3803-3881).

It is reported that the Israeli Zionist regime’s aggression and attacks on Palestinians this time began with an attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on May 7, followed by airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday (May 10). Thus far, more than 119 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, and hundreds more injured.

Meanwhile, PAS secretary-general, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, in a statement, said that it has been made mandatory for all levels of the party to mobilise efforts to collect contributions for the fund.

As a sign of support for the Palestinian struggle, he said the party also made it mandatory for all PAS-owned premises to raise the Palestinian flag, besides encouraging other premises to do so.

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