The call came in a statement issued by the movement, commenting on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's announcement of the approval of a new settlement plan in the area known as "E1," which aims to separate Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The movement said, "Let us make next Friday a day of raging anger and a unifying national moment in support of the Gaza Strip and in rejection of the plan to seize control of the West Bank." It emphasized that the "real response" in light of the ongoing war of genocide, siege, and starvation on Gaza, and the escalating settlement campaign led by the occupation government, will be through "the field, popular escalation, and resistance with all its tools."
Hamas called on Palestinians in cities, villages, and camps to participate widely in the "Anger and Support" events, in defense of Palestinian land against annexation and confiscation schemes aimed at uprooting the Palestinian people from their land and depriving them of their right to a decent life.
It also urged national and Islamic factions, political forces, youth movements, popular committees, unions, and syndicates to unite to support the Palestinians in Gaza and areas threatened by settlement expansion.
The movement stressed the importance of intensifying these activities inside Palestine and around the world, as they serve as "messages of anger and defiance that the occupation will not last, and that the annexation project will fail due to the will of the people and their continued resistance."
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday morning that Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Ministry of Defense and oversees settlement affairs, announced approval for the construction of 3,401 new settlement units near the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, and another 3,515 units in a neighboring area.
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The newspaper quoted Smotrich as saying, "The plan links Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem and cuts off Arab connections between Ramallah and Bethlehem," adding that the project "buries the idea of a Palestinian state."
She noted that the approval revives the "E-1 Project," which has been stalled for decades due to international pressure. The project constitutes a strategic barrier to the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and represents a step toward annexing the occupied West Bank.
E1 is an Israeli settlement plan that aims to connect Jerusalem to a number of Israeli settlements located to its east in the West Bank, such as Ma'ale Adumim, by confiscating Palestinian land in the area and establishing new settlements, preventing any potential Palestinian expansion.
The Palestinians cling to East Jerusalem as the capital of their desired state, based on international legitimacy resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967, nor its annexation in 1980.
In parallel with the genocide in Gaza, the Israeli occupation army and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killed at least 1,014 Palestinians, injured nearly 7,000 others, and arrested more than 18,500, according to Palestinian data.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide left 61,776 Palestinian martyrs and 154,906 wounded, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 people were missing, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of 239 people, including 106 children.
