Ismail Rezvan, a senior member of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), warned Israeli authorities on Tuesday “not to test” the resistance front's patience, which is “running thin” in the face of ongoing hostile measures against Palestinians, Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported.
He urged Palestinian officials to “stop security coordination” with Israel, avoid organizing “vain meetings” with authorities from the Tel Aviv regime, and resort to the “resistance option” instead.
“We call on parties and mediators to stop the crimes of the usurping Israeli regime. The resistance will continue to defend the Palestinian nation,” Rezvan noted.
His remarks came as confrontations broke out between young Palestinian men and Israeli forces at the Damascus Gate of al-Quds on Tuesday evening.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli troops fired tear gas canisters during the clashes to disperse the crowds.
Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian teenager during the confrontations.
Meanwhile, Jordan condemned the latest wave of tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories over the past few days, and the frequent break-ins of Israeli settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the fasting month of Ramadan and under the protection of Israeli forces.
“The 144-dunam (36-acre) al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a special place of worship for Muslims,” Spokesman for the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Haitham Abu al-Ful, said.
Abu al-Ful stressed the need to stop all restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers to the al-Aqsa Mosque, and said the settlers' aggression and violent behavior contravene the existing historical and legal facts as well as international law.
“All provocative and unilateral actions that lead to further escalation of tensions and violence must be stopped,” he emphasized.
Palestinians have ramped up their retaliatory attacks against Israeli forces in recent weeks, carrying out a series of operations that have killed at least 11 Israelis since March 22. Eight Palestinians have also been killed during the same period.
Last week, a Palestinian man identified as Diaa Hamarsheh killed five Israelis, including a policeman, before being shot dead in the ultra-orthodox town of Bnei Brak east of Tel Aviv.
The operation came days after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli forces and wounded four others in a shooting attack in the northern Israeli city of Hadera before being shot dead.
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