Hamas: Palestinians will keep defending al-Aqsa in face of 'religious war' waged by enemy

Reacting to a threat-riddled speech by the Israeli prime minister, Hamas resistance movement says Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks will not weaken Palestinians' resolve to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque against the occupying regime's aggression.

"Netanyahu’s speech cannot frighten our Palestinian people," the movement's spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Monday, adding that Palestinians "will continue the battle to defend the identity of al-Aqsa Mosque in the face of the religious war waged by the enemy."

Qassem's remarks came as the Tel Aviv regime has been dangerously stoking tensions throughout the occupied territories and beyond since Wednesday, when it carried out a savage attack on Palestinian worshipers, who were observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site.

The first bout of the raids saw the regime's forces storming the compound, beating the Palestinian worshipers there before arresting and forcing out hundreds of them. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded as a result of the violence.

The raids prompted several rounds of retaliatory rocket strikes against the occupied territories from the direction of the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is headquartered, as well as from Lebanon and Syria. 

During his Monday speech, Netanyahu admitted that the regime has responded to retaliatory strikes by dropping "50 tons of bombs" on ground targets belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

He also accused Hamas of being behind the reprisal attacks that targeted the occupied territories from Lebanon, saying, "We will not allow" Hamas "to establish itself in Lebanon" by acting on "all fronts."

Rocket barrages fired from Lebanon as Hezbollah warns Israel over Aqsa Mosque raids

At least 30 rockets have reportedly been launched from southern Lebanon into the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for raids by Israeli forces.

The Israeli premier also claimed that the regime had thwarted "hundreds of operations" in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year, alleging that the regime could reach the resistance everywhere.

Responding to Netanyahu's claims, Qassem described his speech as an attempt to falsify the facts, saying that the Israeli occupation was "the basis of all tensions" across the occupied territories.

The occupiers are the ones "who practice terrorism systematically and continuously," the Hamas' official said, pointing out that the Palestinian people are waging a legitimate battle to restore their right to freedom and independence.

He added that "Netanyahu’s threats against our Palestinian people, Syria, Lebanon and Iran prove that the occupying regime is a menace to the entire region and its interests."

Hundreds of Palestinians injured in Israeli forces’ Nablus raid

In another development on Monday, at least 216 Palestinian citizens were injured in a raid by Israeli forces on Beita village, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, 185 Palestinian citizens suffered breathing problems after Israeli forces fired tear gas bombs at them in Beita.

The society added that 22 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces’ rubber-coated metal bullets while two others were injured in the head by tear gas bombs.

The raid took place after earlier the same day, thousands of Jewish settlers, protected by the regime’s forces, stormed Mount Sabih, which is located between the three Palestinian villages of Qabalan, Yatma and Beita, south of Nablus, demanding the legalization of the settlement outpost of Evyatar.

Seven Israeli ministers, including finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and the extremist minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, participated in the pro-settlement march in addition to more than 20 lawmakers.

According to the regime’s media outlets, Jewish settlers plan to hold a big festival in the settlement outpost and some of them will stay in the outpost to impose a fait accompli there.

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