Hamas: The occupation crimes will not be subjected to a statute of limitations

Hamas movement warned the Israeli occupation of the repercussions of continuing the war against the city of al-Khalil and the Ibrahimi mosque.

Hamas stressed that the occupation’s attempts to impose a fait accompli in the city will not succeed in obliterating its historical facts, adding that the Palestinians will never give up their land and holy places.

It said in a statement on Tuesday that the crimes of the Israeli forces and settlers against the Palestinian people, their land and sanctities will not be subjected to a statute of limitations, and that the criminals will not escape punishment.

The movement also emphasized its absolute rejection of any agreement that leads to relinquishing the Palestinian rights, constants and sanctities. “Our steadfast people will continue to resist the occupation and its plans until the liberation of the land and the holy sites and the achievement of the right of return”, it said.

Hamas called on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the 1948 occupied territories to continue to confront the occupation until defeating it.

Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of the massacre of the Ibrahimi mosque in al-Khalil city which claimed the lives of 29 worshipers and wounded 150 others, and which was committed in 1994 by Baruch Goldstein, with the participation of the occupation forces and settlers from Kiryat Arba settlement.

After the massacre, the Israeli soldiers closed the doors of the mosque to prevent worshipers from escaping and prevented citizens from entering the mosque to rescue the wounded, bringing the total number of martyrs to 50.

On the same day, the city of al-Khalil and all Palestinian cities witnessed tension and clashes with the Israeli soldiers, and the number of those killed reached 60 martyrs.

The occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi mosque and the Old City for six months on the grounds of investigating the crime. They formed the Shamgar committee to investigate the massacre and its causes.

The committee came up with several recommendations, including the division of the Ibrahimi mosque into two parts; 40% for Muslims and 60% under the Jewish sovereignty, and placed security guards on the mosque in an attempt to control it.

The occupation authority then installed 26 cameras and electronic gates at all the mosque’s entrances and closed most of the roads leading to it, except for one on which it has imposed tight security measures.