Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Hamas terror organization - issued a statement Thursday praising recent terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, and calling for a broader escalation of violence against Israel.
“From Hebron to Jenin,” the statement read, “fighters continue their heroic operations against the occupation forces and land thieves, in response to aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the escalation of crimes by the occupation, which have turned our people’s lives into an unimaginable hell.”
He went on to urge, “We call on the heroic youth to escalate militant activities throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem—to deter the aggressors from continuing their crimes and to prevent the advancement of the annexation plan for the West Bank, before our people lose what remains of Palestine.”
The statement was issued shortly after a deadly terrorist attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, where 22-year-old Shalev Zevuloni of Kiryat Arba was murdered. Two Palestinian Arab terrorists stabbed him multiple times and shot him - likely with his own pistol, taken during the attack. A civilian and an IDF soldier at the scene acted swiftly, neutralizing both attackers.