Hamas calls on West Bank Palestinians to step up terror attacks
'What is happening on the ground should raise alarm bells... it is a threat to the two-state solution'
The Gaza Strip’s extremist factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Wednesday called on Palestinians to step up "resistance" attacks against soldiers and Israelis in the West Bank, amid Israeli army operations in the region.
Click here for an Explainer on Gaza’s militant groups.
Expressing pride for the "martyrs" killed by Israeli forces, Gaza’s ruling faction Hamas urged West Bank Palestinians to continue supporting the "heroic battle" against soldiers and "[Israeli] settlers.”
The movement also called on people to continue to "confront" Israeli troops entering Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps as part of Israel’s counterterrorism operations.
Saluting the memory of Younis Ghassan Tayeh, a 21-year-old Palestinian killed by Israeli troops on Wednesday after throwing an explosive device at them, Islamic Jihad called on all Palestinians to "close ranks" and work to escalate "resistance" against Israeli soldiers and "settlers."
More than 1,500 Palestinians wanted for terrorist activities have been arrested in recent months in the West Bank as part of Israel’s Operation “Breakwater.”
The West Bank's ruling Palestinian Authority (PA) said Israel "bears full responsibility" for the current outbreak of violence, warning that Israel's ongoing military operations would lead to an "explosion.”
"What is happening on the ground should raise alarm bells with the international community because it is a threat to the two-state solution," the PA Foreign Ministry said.
It added that the crackdown on Palestinian militants is part of an "Israeli attempt to force the Palestinians to surrender and accept the occupation and the settlements.”