Despite the siege and aggression on the Gaza Strip, Gaza is not hostile to anyone and there's enough love to be distributed to the whole world, said Khader Habib, an official from the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, on Monday, according to the Palestinian Sawa news agency.Habib's statements were made during a farewell ceremony for the director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub-delegation in Gaza, Gilan Devorn. The Islamic Jihad official added that Gaza always loves and honors its guests and does not forget to help them."The problem that Gaza suffers is a political problem and the whole world should be aware of the problem of Gaza and its crisis stemming from the continuation of the occupation that commits crimes against our defenseless Palestinian people," said Habib, pointing to the "peaceful" March of Return protests that now occur almost every Friday.An Israeli soldier, St.-Sgt. Aviv Levi was killed after being shot in the chest by sniper fire during the March of Return protests.The “March of Return” border protests began on March 30 and have seen over half a million people violently demonstrating along the security fence, demanding an end to the 12-year blockade, with several thousand to 45,000 congregating at points along the border every Friday.Demonstrators have been burning tires and hurling stones and marbles, as well as carrying out other types of aggression, which include the throwing of grenades and bombs (including military-grade explosives) toward troops. The Islamic Jihad official claimed that not one Israeli soldier has been injured during the marches, but "there are hundreds of Palestinian martyrs and thousands wounded as a result of being targeted by the Israeli army."
"We send a message to the whole world, to look to the oppressed Gaza and to support it, because it is attacked by the Israeli occupation," concluded Habib.
On Monday,
Hamas publicly called on Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and around the world to "defend Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and stand in the face of all the Zionist-American plans." The press statement called on Palestinians to express their outrage by taking part in the marches of return and mass events on Friday.
The call for the day of rage was issued because "Jerusalem is being subjected to the fiercest Zionist campaign aimed at Judaizing and obliterating its identity." Friday is also the 50th anniversary of the burning of the Al Aqsa Mosque.
In August 1969, an Australian Christian, Dennis Michael Rohan, attempted to set fire to Al Aqsa, according to the Los Angeles Times. The fire took hours to get under control and damaged some of the oldest parts of the mosque, including a 900 year old pulpit gifted to the mosque by Saladin, a Muslim warrior who defeated the Crusaders in the 11th century.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
