A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, called for escalation on all fronts in a televised speech marking 200 days since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
In a video released by Al Jazeera, Abu Ubaida praised Iran’s attack on Israel on April 13, saying the direct strikes by drones and missiles “set new rules, drew important parallels and confused the enemy and those behind it.”
He also called for escalation in the West Bank and in Jordan, saying that it is “one of the most important Arab fronts”.
“We call on the Jordanian people to step up their actions and raise their voices,” he said.
Abu Ubaida said that Hamas stands by the demands it made at the cease-fire talks, that is, to demand that Israel end its military offensive, withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, allow the displaced to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and lift the blockade.
Meanwhile, Israel intensified attacks across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, residents said, adding that it was one of the worst shelling in weeks. The army ordered new evacuations in the north of the Palestinian enclave, warning civilians that they were in a “dangerous combat zone”.
In an announcement on Platform X, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraj called on residents of four zones in Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip to move to shelters in two designated areas.
The new shelling and bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip comes nearly four months after the Israeli military announced it was withdrawing its troops, claiming that Hamas no longer controls the areas.
Israel also withdrew most of its forces from the southern Gaza Strip this month. But attempts to achieve a ceasefire have failed and Israeli bombardment and incursions into the territory from where the soldiers withdrew are making it difficult for the displaced to return to their homes.
