Fatah-aligned group calls for attacks on Israel

JERUSALEM — The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades called on followers to launch attacks against Israel.

The Fatah-aligned al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades on Tuesday distributed a leaflet calling for its “units and sleeping cells” to start launching attacks against “the Zionist enemy” beginning on Friday, the eve of Yom Kippur.

The attacks are a protest against the effort to “Judaize and divide” Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque, according to The Jerusalem Post.

“We call upon our people to participate in a popular intifada on Friday in honor of the blood of the martyrs and to defend our land and Aqsa Mosque, which is being subjected to Judaization and division,” the leaflet said.

It was distributed by Fatah in the Gaza Strip, according to the newspaper.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have historically been considered the military wing of Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The group launched suicide bombings against Israelis during the Second Intifada.