Ben-Gvir had repeatedly called for the demolition of the tomb of Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, which is located in an Islamic cemetery built on the land of the depopulated village of Sheikh.
In a statement, Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said, "The threat by extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir to remove the grave of the Mujahid Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, and the announcement of taking the first step towards that, represents an unprecedented level of transgression against sanctities and violation of holy sites."
He added that this behavior comes "after the serious crimes and violations against our people in Gaza," considering it "a new violation that extends even to the graves of the dead."
Mardawi explained that "this behavior reveals the extent of the moral decline that the occupation has reached, and expresses a vengeful mentality that does not hesitate to tamper with the history of our people and their national and religious symbols."
He pointed out that "targeting the grave of Al-Qassam, the great Syrian scholar and mujahid, and an icon of the revolutionary struggle against injustice and occupation, is not just an attack on a grave, but an attempt to obliterate the memory of the nation and remove a witness to its ongoing struggle."
Mardawi stressed that “violating the sanctity of the dead exposes the fascist mentality that governs the occupation government, and proves that extremism has turned into an official policy that requires an international stance to curb this savagery.”
In his latest post, Ben-Gvir posted a video on his Telegram account on Thursday, in which he appeared supervising the removal of a tent erected by the Islamic Waqf Committee near the shrine of Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, reiterating his threat to demolish the tomb.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right "Jewish Power" party, said: "This is our land, the land of the State of Israel. This is a first and important step to remove the provocative display called the Tomb of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam from here."
Al-Qassam (born in 1883 in the town of Jableh on the Syrian coast) is a prominent figure in the Islamic world in the history of the Palestinian struggle.
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam led the armed struggle against the French and British occupations in Syria and Palestine in the early twentieth century.
He was killed in 1935 in a battle with British forces near the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, and his death had a major impact on the outbreak of the Great Palestinian Revolt in 1936.
In honor of his name and in recognition of his struggle against colonialism, the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in Palestine named its military wing after him, becoming the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades".
