Rally marks Hamas’ 30th anniversary
GAZA: Tens of thousands of Palestinians including hundreds of armed men rallied in Gaza yesterday to mark the 30th anniversary of Hamas’ founding and its chief vowed to reverse United States President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Earlier in the day, Israel shut its border crossings with Gaza in response to daily rocket fire from the Hamasruled enclave since Trump’s announcement on December 6, which stirred anger across the Arab and Muslim world and concern among Washington’s European allies, as well as Russia.
‘‘We will knock down Trump’s decision. No superpower is capable of offering Jerusalem to Israel, there is no Israel that it should have a capital named Jerusalem. Our souls, our blood, our sons and our homes are a sacrifice for Jerusalem,’’ Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told the rally in Gaza City.
With armed men from other Palestinian militant groups showing support for Hamas, Haniyeh added, ‘‘We are marching towards Jerusalem, sacrificing millions of martyrs along the way,’’ and the crowd repeated his chants.
Israeli aircraft struck three Hamas facilities before dawn after the latest rocket salvo, Israel’s military said. It said it targeted training camps and weapons storage compounds. Hamas usually evacuates such facilities when border tensions rise.
Two rockets fired by militants were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome antimissile system and a third exploded in southern Israel. There were no casualties on either side.
The military said in a statement that ‘‘due to the security events and in accordance with security assessments’’, Kerem Shalom crossing — the main passage point for goods entering Gaza — and the Erez pedestrian crossing would be shut from Thursday. It did not say how long the closure would last.
About 15 rockets had been fired into southern Israel since Trump’s announcement. None of the projectiles had caused serious injury or damage.
The attacks drew Israeli airstrikes that killed two Hamas armed men. Two other Palestinians were killed in confrontations with Israeli troops during stonethrowing protests along the border.
Israeli cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi said on Israel Radio while Hamas was not responsible for the rocket fire, it needed to rein in militants from ‘‘breakaway groups’’ or it would ‘‘find itself in a situation where it has to contend’’ with the Israeli military.
In Istanbul on Wednesday, a
summit of more than 50 Muslim countries condemned Trump’s move and urged the world to respond by recognising East Jerusalem, captured by Israel along with the West Bank in a 1967 war, as the capital of Palestine.
Trump’s declaration has been applauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a recognition of political reality and Jews’ biblical links to Jerusalem, a city that is also holy to Muslims and Christians. — Reuters