“If we die, we will die as Martyrs,” declares young daughter of Hamas spokesman
Text and video posted on the Facebook page of Hamas Ministry of Internal Affairs Spokesman Iyad Al-Buzum
Posted text: “A message from my daughter, Lama, on the tenth day of the war (refers to Hamas rocket barrages on Israeli cities; see note below -Ed.).”
Video:
Lama Al-Buzum: “[The Israelis] thought that with death and destruction we would submit, but that will never happen and we will remain to stand firm in the powerful Gaza Strip and defend Jerusalem, the Sheikh Jarrah [neighborhood of Jerusalem], and the Al-Aqsa Mosque – the [destination] of our Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey…
If we die, we will die as Martyrs for the sake of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. And if we live, we will live in dignity and glory. Despite the fear, the bombings, and the destruction, we have hope to return to our land. We will return to Palestine, we will return to the land of the ancestors, we will return to the land that we have loved [even] without seeing it, because the spirit of our ancestors and our ancestors’ ancestors is there.We will return to Ashkelon, Haifa, Jaffa, Safed, and Beit Shean (i.e., all Israeli cities) – to all of Palestine, and we will pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
When the occupying Jews occupied our land, they said: ‘The adults will die and the children will forget.’ Today we tell them: It is true, the adults died, but they taught us and raised us not to forget our land. These children have grown, and we are the ones who will return to our land Palestine from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the 1948 [territories] (i.e., Israel). We tell them: All of Palestine is one, and Israel will be destroyed.”
Lama is the daughter of Hamas Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesman Iyad Al-Buzum who posted this video.
Fatah/Hamas Riot and Rocket War 2021 – On April 30, 2021, facing certain electoral defeat, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the first PA elections scheduled in 15 years. Hamas, which expected to win the elections, denounced it as a “coup.” In need of a conflict to divert public discontent, Abbas artificially generated a crisis over Jerusalem. His Fatah party called for "raising the level of confrontation,” and Abbas' spokesman told Palestinians "the battle of all battles is here.” Jerusalem Arabs responded by attacking Jews with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Hamas, Abbas' political rival, could not allow Abbas to lead the battle, so on May 10, 2021, Hamas launched rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centers including Jerusalem. Over the next 11 days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired over 4,300 rockets into southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 9 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals, and wounding hundreds. In response, Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls to target Hamas terror leaders and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Already in mid-April, a planned eviction of some Palestinian families illegally living in Jewish-owned buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem had led to clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli police. This dispute provided Palestinians with a pretext for violent rioting. Adding to the crisis, Israeli Arabs started rioting throughout Israel, especially in cities with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Two Jews were murdered and many were wounded. According to Walla, an independent Israeli news site, 10 synagogues were wholly or partly burned down; fires were set in 112 Jewish homes and 1 Arab home mistaken for a Jewish home; 386 Jewish homes were plundered and 673 were damaged; 849 cars were set ablaze; and there were 5,018 rock-throwing attacks. In response, Jews started attacking Arabs and their properties as well, but on a much smaller scale. No mosques were burned; 13 Arab homes were damaged; 13 Arab-owned cars were burned; and there were 41 rock-throwing attacks by Jews. [Walla, May 16, 2021] The fighting between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.