Islamic Jihad, Hamas Hold Rally to Support West Bank Shooting

Gaza City, 23 Rabiul Akhir 1437/2 February 2016 (MINA) – Senior Islamic Jihad and Hamas  officials on Monday attended a rally in Gaza City to voice support for a recent attack on Israeli military forces in the occupied West Bank.

Speakers at the rally, organized by the Islamic Jihad, applauded the attack on Sunday by Palestinian police officer Amjad Sukkari, 34, who was shot dead after he shot and wounded three Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint north of the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting Ma’an.

“This operation by martyr Sukkari was a natural reaction expected by any noble and free Palestinian to the crimes and executions the Israeli occupation army has been carrying out in the West Bank and Jerusalem,” Ahmad al-Mudallal, a senior Islamic Jihad official said.

Al-Mudallal added that “the real task of the Palestinian Authority’s security officers is to defend our people and our holy places and tell the Israeli occupation that security coordination won’t protect them.”

Similarly, senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan honored Sukkari in his speech “for siding with his people and opposing security coordination with occupation.”

Radwan urged Palestinian members of all Palestinian Authority’s security services to follow in the steps of Sukkari.

Resistance, he said, will continue until all its goals come to fruition.

He urged Palestinian activists to form a joint command along with committees to lead what he called the “Intifada” in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority has yet to comment on the attack. (T/R07/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)