Hamas leader says to 'liberate' Jerusalem

A key leader in Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Khalil al-Hayyah, has called on Arab and Islamic nations to “prepare the Al-Quds conquest army”, and stated that “Israel was born to die not to stay.” In a rally organised by Hamas in Gaza to support cause of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Thursday, Hayyah vowed that the movement will “continue the road of resistance and riffle carrying until Al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied Jerusalem are freed”. “What the Israeli occupation does in Jerusalem and Palestine will not repel us from our path, our road, and our rifle which will free Al-Aqsa and eliminate the occupier,” he said. The Hamas leader said they “stand on behalf on the nation today with their sacrifices, perseverance, chivalry, belief, and taking root in the land to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque”. He stressed on “the necessity of supporting Jerusalem's people, to persevere in the face of Israeli occupation” and addressed the Arab nation with demands to “send to [Al-Aqsa] those who can assist it and keep it alive". "If we want to free Al-Aqsa and Palestine, then we have to unite the nation. The nation’s faith must be in resisting occupation and ending it, not that it will remain,” he said. Hayyah called on the nation “to set out and set plans, besiege the occupation, expel it and end normalising ties with it, and prepare the Al-Quds conquest army”. “The people of Al-Quds do not want money only, although it’s important, but they want to see promising signs of the Al-Quds conquest army”. The Hamas rally was held on the Palestine court in Gaza and saw participation from Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, a number of Palestinian leaders, and a large crowd of people.