“Gaza supports al-Quds Intifada against Israel”

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip support the Intifada (uprising) in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) against Israel.

“The message of our wounded is that Gaza, despite the distance and its deep suffering due to the siege and war, still stands behind the battle of Jerusalem, and that Gaza is in the heart of Jerusalem’s Intifada,” Haniyeh said on Thursday.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007. The blockade, which has cut off the territory from the outside world, has led to an economic and humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.

The senior Palestinian official made the remarks during a visit to al-Shifa hospital, where Palestinians who had been shot and injured by Israeli forces during recent clashes near Gaza’s border are receiving treatment.

Haniyeh further noted that “Jerusalem’s Intifada has sent a message that Jerusalem is not a red line, but instead the title of the strategy in the conflict with Israel.”

“Gaza will not draw back or give up its role in protecting Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.