Hamas says ready for a six-month war with Israel

Hamas is ready for a six-month war with Israel, a senior official at the Islamic movement said to Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV on Monday.

"There is an Israeli plan to storm Al-Aqsa on the 15th of Ramadan, and this is the most dangerous thing the enemy can do," said Zaher Jabarin, a member of the Hamas political bureau.

"The Palestinian resistance will not remain silent (...) We have prepared for the enemy and we have enough to fight a battle for six consecutive months," Jabarin added.

Israeli forces raid Jenin as Palestinian man killed in Israelhttps://t.co/U6cCul4Qiu

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 12, 2022

Meanwhile, several extremist Jewish groups called on Israelis to take part in an initiative to hold "Passover sacrifice" on the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque to be held next Friday.

The groups announced a financial reward of $US 3,200 to those who were able to bring livestock to the compound and successfully carry out sacrifices, while $US 200 were offered to those who were able to enter the Al-Aqsa compound yet were unable to sacrifice the livestock and $US 120 to those who attempted and failed to enter. 

The call comes after Jewish extremist groups held a mock ceremony on Monday at the southern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

A source close to Hamas, who preferred to be unnamed, told The New Arab, "the movement has conveyed a message to the Egyptians that holding Jewish religious rituals and slaughtering livestock inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, are crossing red lines, and will lead to an explosion of the situation."

The source noted that "the resistance informed the Egyptians that [Israel's] reliance on any improvements in the Gaza Strip and its isolation from occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, is a wrong assessment."

"[Israel] has only one option in the coming days: prevent provocations in Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the West Bank, especially the city of Jenin," the source added.

For weeks now, the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Jerusalem have witnessed an increase of tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, which led to the killing of at least 15 Palestinians and 14 Israelis.