The operation executor was identified as 21-year-old Palestinian resident of Jerusalem’s al-Tur neighborhood Khairi Alqam, who was also fatally shot by Israeli forces.
“The Jerusalem operation is a natural response to the Jenin massacre,” said Mohammed Hamadeh, a spokesperson for Hamas. “Our people don’t forget the blood of their martyrs and avenge their death at the appropriate time and place.”
Hamadeh said the Palestinians were “united behind the resistance.” He added: “The battle with the occupation is a long one. Our people will continue the path of resistance as a strategic option to achieve their aspirations.”
Another Hamas official, Abdel Latif Qanou, said the operation marked the beginning of the Palestinian response to the “crimes of the government of the fascist settlers, the latest of which was the massacre in Jenin Refugee Camp.
“The heroic operation demonstrated the inability of the Zionist occupation to confront the heroes of the resistance,” Qanou added, noting that the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem remain united in the fight against Israeli occupation.
Hazem Qassem, a spokesperson for Hamas, told the Reuters news agency that Friday’s operation was “a response to the crime conducted by the occupation in Jenin and a natural response to the occupation’s criminal actions”.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) welcomed the “heroic operation”, saying it sends a message to the Israeli occupation that the Palestinians are ready to respond to its crimes.
“This operation came at the right time and place to avenge the blood of the martyrs in the Jenin camp and the West Bank,” PIJ said. “It came as a natural and legitimate response to the crimes of the occupation and the violations against the holy sites.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said in separate statements that the “heroic operation” shows that the Palestinian “resistance” will continue.
“The heroic operation is the embodiment of the will of our people to confront the enemy and to punish the Zionist war criminals,” the PFLP said.
The DFLP said the operation marked the beginning of a “new era of comprehensive popular resistance and reaffirms our people’s choice of resisting the occupation and chasing the settlers everywhere.”
Fatah also said in a statement late Friday that the “explosion of the situation was an inevitable result of the escalating crimes of the occupation against our people.”
“We warned of this repeatedly, but the international community did not respond to calls to stop the [Israeli] aggression and put an end to the shedding of Palestinian blood,” Fatah said. “The international community must assume its responsibilities towards curbing the aggressive behavior of the occupation government.”
More than 231 Palestinians were killed by ‘Israel’ in 2022, with the vast majority (173) killed in the West Bank. This year seems to usher in a similar trend as Israeli forces and settlers have already killed 32 Palestinians.
