Gaza City, August 25 (RHC)-- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned the burning copies of the Holy Qur’an by Israeli forces during the storming and desecration of the Bani Saleh Mosque in the northern Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Saturday, Hamas said the burning of Holy Qur’an, the desecration, targeting and destruction of mosques prove the “extremist” nature of the Israeli regime and its forces, who are filled with hatred and criminality.

Such moves show the “fascist behavior” of the Tel Aviv regime towards everything connected to the Palestinian people’s identity and their sanctities, it added.  The statement emphasized that these incidents clearly indicate Israel’s “systematic criminal policy” aimed at further escalating its brutal war of genocide against the Palestinian people and their way of life in Gaza.

Hamas called on the international community, particularly Muslim countries and organizations as well as the free people of the world to condemn such fascist Israeli behavior and to take action in defense of Islamic and Christian sanctities in Palestine.

The movement urged the Muslim world to stop Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip and provide all means of support and assistance to the steadfast people of Palestine and their valiant resistance.

It said the Palestinian people and resistance have been facing Israel’s machine of killing and terror in defense of their land and religious sanctities, foremost among them the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Footage released on Friday showed Israeli forces storming the Bani Saleh Mosque in the Gaza Strip and then tearing up and burning copies of the Holy Qur’an inside the mosque.
The video footage also showed Israeli forces blowing up the Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, one of the oldest mosques in the Strip.

Israeli media reports confirmed the soldier posted the footage on his Instagram account.
Israeli soldiers have reportedly committed multiple incidents of sacrilegious and blasphemous acts against Islamic sanctities since early October.

According to the Gaza media office, Israeli forces have completely destroyed 609 mosques and partially destroyed 211 more mosques in Gaza since the beginning of the regime’s barbarous campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Israel has killed over 40,300 Palestinians, mostly children and women, in Gaza since October.