Gaza: Palestinians demonstrate against an Israeli assault wave

• The Islamic Jihad and Hamas organized rallies on Friday.
• The protesters carried banners that read, “Palestine brings us together, Jerusalem is ours.”
• Images of young men killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were displayed.

In the midst of a wave of brutality by Israeli forces, thousands of residents in the constrained Gaza Strip have demonstrated in support of their fellow Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Islamic Jihad and Hamas organized rallies on Friday. The protesters carried banners that read, “Palestine brings us together, Jerusalem is ours, We will defend Jerusalem with our hands and souls,” as they left mosques in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Images of young men killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were displayed with banners showing support for the people of Jerusalem.

Following a reconciliation agreement struck by opposing Palestinian parties on Thursday, top Hamas spokesman Mosheer Al-Masry told Al Jazeera that the protests confirmed the unity of the Palestinians.

The West Bank and Jerusalem are beginning a new chapter that demonstrates to the Israeli occupation that our people have chosen to engage in armed resistance, he stated.

According to him, recent Israeli provocations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City and daily Israeli intrusions there by Israelis only fuel Palestinian resistance.

The essence of the issue, according to him, is Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and throughout history, our people have risen up for their protection.

“The West Bank is rising up once more, demonstrating that the only way to achieve liberty and drive out the oppressor is by using force.”

The towns of Jenin and Nablus, where a new wave of Palestinian armed resistance is rising, have been the main targets of nearly daily raids by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in recent months.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops have murdered at least 160 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip since the year’s commencement, including 51 Palestinians during Israel’s three-day assault on Gaza in August.

Since Saturday night, when Israeli police closed down the Shuafat camp under the guise of looking for a Palestinian suspected of killing a female soldier, tensions have also been high in occupied East Jerusalem.

Businesses and educational institutions in occupied East Jerusalem went on strike on Wednesday in support of the besieged residents of the Shuafat camp and the areas of Anata, Ras Khamis, Ras Shehadeh, and Dahiyat al-Salam, where the Israeli police have placed severe restrictions on resident movement.

As a result of the recent surge of violence, Abu Sufyan Muhammad, 60, of Khan Yunis, told Al Jazeera that he was protesting to show his solidarity for the citizens of the seized regions.

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