Hamas calls for marches in the West Bank in support of Gaza

Hamas has called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to mobilise widely in marches and public demonstrations on Tuesday in solidarity with Gaza and in rejection of what it described as Israel’s ongoing "genocidal war" against Palestinians.

In a statement posted on Telegram, senior Hamas official Abdel Rahman Shadid urged: "We call on the free people of our nation and the university students of the occupied West Bank to mobilise and turn out widely in the angry marches scheduled for Tuesday, in support of Gaza and in rejection of the genocide war that the occupation continues to wage against our people."

Shadid stressed that it was the duty of the student movement "to play its role in stopping the genocide and to move urgently for Gaza in all arenas and universities".

He further stated: "The West Bank and its universities are present and influential in their resistance role in all events and battles, and they will not be deterred by the challenges and obstacles the occupation seeks to create through its continuous raids and arrest campaigns that have targeted thousands of our people, foremost among them university students."

Shadid called for "the mobilisation of all levels to activate every means of confrontation by everyone to defend our land and holy sites and to deter the occupation and its settler gangs, especially in light of escalating settler attacks".

He also called for "escalating all forms of resistance to confront the occupation's aggression and its displacement plans in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem".

The statement comes amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have escalated demolitions, raids, and settler violence in recent weeks. According to rights groups and humanitarian sources, more than 8,000 West Bank residents have been arrested since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, and there has been a notable increase in settler attacks on Palestinian villages, often under army protection.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces demolished two houses and a residential building in the central and southern West Bank provinces of Ramallah and Hebron, citing construction "without permits". In Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, Israeli bulldozers began demolishing a six-storey residential building.

In a separate statement, Hamas condemned the demolitions, saying: "The demolitions carried out by the Zionist occupation army expose the fascism of the occupation and necessitate an escalation of resistance."

The movement added: "These demolitions show the true face of the Zionist scheme aimed at Judaizing the land and forcibly imposing annexation, as part of a systematic policy to eliminate the Palestinian presence."

Hamas further stressed that "this fascist policy, accompanied by an ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, constitutes a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law and requires urgent international action to stop these crimes and hold their leaders accountable."

The group concluded by urging all Palestinian national and Islamic forces, especially in the West Bank, to "rally behind the option of comprehensive resistance in defence of the land, dignity, and inalienable national rights".