Hamas chief says Palestinians facing a ‘comprehensive assault on all fronts’

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh responds to Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip — which come following this morning’s rocket attack that detroyed a home in central Israel and wounded seven people — linking it to tensions in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and recent attacks by Palestinian prisoners on Israeli guards after authorities blocked their cellphone reception.

“The Palestinian issue is facing a comprehensive assault on all levels and fronts in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza and inside the occupation’s prisons,” Haniyeh says.

“We must confront this comprehensive assault in a united national stand and in high coordination with our Arab brothers. Jerusalem unites us; the prisoners unite us; the West Bank unites us, and the March of Return unites us. If the occupation crosses red lines, our people will not surrender to it and the resistance is able to deter it.”

— with Adam Rasgon