Khalil al-Hayya a member of the Hamas political bureau and head of its Arab and Islamic relations office has affirmed that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the core of the conflict with Israel.
Hayya added in a speech on the International Quds Day in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday that the “Zionists want to destroy everything in Palestine and the holy sites.”
He stressed that the residents of Jerusalem and the Palestinian resistance were able to thwart the Israeli plan to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque and to keep Muslims and Christians away from the Holy City.
The Hamas leader lashed out at the process of normalization with Israel accusing those who are normalizing of being “afraid” and told them: “We defeated the Zionist army which you think will not be defeated.”
Hayya addressed the participants in the International Quds Day rallies by saying: “We assure you of the strength of the Palestinian people and we have the will to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem.”
He thanked the Islamic Republic the people the leadership and the government for their “continuous support” for the Palestinian people and their resistance the launch of the International Al-Quds Day to commemorate Al-Quds and its importance in the conflict.
He called on the Arab and Islamic nation to intensify their support for the Palestinian people and their resistance and tighten the noose around Israel and pursue it politically economically and legally at international forums.
The Hamas leader and his accompanying delegation had met on Friday morning with the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Hussein Salami and Friday prayer preacher in Tehran Muhammad Jawad Haj Ali Akbari.
The two sides discussed developments in the Palestinian territories and the daily violations of the Israeli occupation in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
General Salami stressed that the Islamic Republic will continue to support the resistance and the Palestinian people.
For his part Hayya thanked the Islamic Republic for its support for Palestine.
