Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, pledged on Thursday to remove the tomb of Arab nationalist icon Ezzedine Al-Qassam, the historical figure whose legacy inspired the name of Hamas’s military wing, according to AFP.
In a video posted on X, Ben Gvir and his accompanying security forces have dismantled a prayer tent next to the grave, while vowing to take action against the tomb located inside Israel.
Al-Qassam, whose grave lies near Haifa in northern Israel, was killed in a 1935 firefight after leading armed resistance against British rule and Zionist expansion in mandate-era Palestine, years before the establishment of Israel in 1948.
“The tomb of arch-terrorist Ezzedine Al-Qassam in Nesher must be removed. And yesterday at dawn, we took the first step,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.
Over the recent years, Al-Qassam’s tomb has been repeatedly vandalized on various occasions.
In August, Ben Gvir also urged the grave’s demolition during a parliamentary debate.
When asked by AFP about the incident, Israeli police said they were not involved and redirected inquiries to the authority responsible for overseeing cemeteries.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian group Hamas condemned the threat as “an unprecedented assault on sanctity and a blatant desecration of holy sites,” describing the incident as a grave violation of the respect owed to burial places.
“Targeting the grave of Al-Qassam… is not merely an attack on a grave, but rather an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and remove a testament to our ongoing struggle,” the statement added.
Related Topics:
Saudi Arabia Blasts Ben-Gvir’s Al-Aqsa Provocation
Knesset Passes First Reading of Controversial Death Penalty Bill
Saudi Arabia Slams Ben-Gvir’s Provocative Visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque
