Head of Al-Qassam Bridges in Gaza warns of 'regional earthquake' if Israel continues violations

Hamas, an Islamist armed group in control of the besieged Gaza Strip, said that "it is the time to give the resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem space and opportunity to lead the confrontation with the Israeli occupation."

In a televised statement aired on Al-Aqsa recently, Marwan Issa, the chief of staff of al-Qassam Brigades the armed wing of Hamas, said that "providing opportunities for the resistance in the West Bank does not mean abandoning it, nor does it mean that Gaza will remain silent, and we will defend our people with all force when direct intervention is required."

"We need to ignite the resistance action in all of Palestine and support it financially, morally and in the media. This does not mean abandoning it," he added. 

"Because of the Israeli enemy, the political project in the West Bank ended and the coming days will be full of events," Issa said.

He stressed that Israel knows very well that any change in the status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound would spark a "regional earthquake". 

Issa's remarks sparked concerns and fears for the residents in Gaza, mainly as the current conditions in the territories seem to suggest the same circumstances before the 11-day military escalation with Israeli in 2021.

Speaking to The New Arab, Ehab al-Haj, a resident of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central coastal enclave, expressed his concerns about a new war during the holy month of Ramadan, mainly as Israeli continues its massacres against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"When a senior leader such as Issa threatens Israel, it means that we will involve in another war soon. Israel will not stop its crimes in the West Bank and the Palestinian armed groups, mainly Hamas will stay silent for a long time," the 45-year-old father of four said.

Nidal al-Absi, based in Rafah, shared the same opinion with al-Hajj. "Only Israel can stop any new military wars in the region if it stops all its unliteral activities and its crimes and violations in the Palestinian territories," he said.

However, al-Absi preferred to provide more opportunities for the resistance in the occupied West Bank to fight Israel, which, he opined, "will allow the resistance there to create more ways and methods to cause as many losses as possible among the Israeli occupation."

Alia al-Husary, a woman based in Gaza, believes that neither Hamas nor Israel are interested in any escalation in Gaza any time soon. 

"Hamas will explode the situation in the West Bank as a way of punishing the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah. In addition, it (Hamas) needs to change the reality in the occupied territories that are suffering from endless Israeli crimes," the 28-year-old mother of three argued.

"Hamas has gained many political goals and it will not allow to lose them. Meanwhile, the PA cannot defend its people in the West Bank, so it is the best time for Hamas to take over control of the West Bank," she added.

Since 2007, Israel launched five large-scale military wars against Gaza, killing and wounding dozens of thousands of locals, including militants belonging to the armed groups.

Since the beginning of this year, the Israeli troops killed at least 87 Palestinians, including 14 women and children, according to official data issued by the Palestinian interior ministry.