Senior Hamas official vows to continue Gaza unrest, ‘move toward Jerusalem’

A senior Hamas official says the terror group will continue protests on the Gaza border that have resulted in violent clashes between Palestinians and the IDF, vowing not to disarm or back down.

“The Palestinian people are determined to continue the great ‘March of Return,’ to free the land and move towards occupied Jerusalem, and they are not concerned by all the sacrifices,” lawmaker Khalil al-Hayya tells a memorial ceremony of Faris al-Raqib, 29, who the Gaza health ministry says was shot in Friday’s clashes east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza as tens of thousands of people took part in the mass protests.

Illustrative: Palestinian protestors wave their national flag during a demonstration commemorating near the border with Israel, east of Gaza City, on March 30, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / MAHMUD HAMS)

His death, announced Monday, raised the reported death toll to 18. The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that at least 10 of those killed were members of Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas,

The border area is currently relatively quiet but tents erected for the protests remain.

— with AFP