Hundreds gather to trample, burn American and Israeli flags; senior Hamas official says killing of Iranian general is blow to ‘the resistance’
Edited by: TJV News
Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who served as commander of the Quds Force, was mourned on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of Palestinians endured the cold and rain to burn American and Israeli flags.
Iran has long provided aid to the Hamas terror group and to the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad as part of its strategy to eliminate Israel.
The killing of Soleimani was deemed “a loss for Palestine and the resistance” by senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan.
“We are loyal to those who stood with the resistance and with Palestine and we hold the US administration and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for the consequences of this deplorable crime,” he added, according to Reuters.
The Times of Israel has reported that Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Friday expressed its “sincere condolences” to Iran’s leadership after Soleimani was killed in Baghdad overnight and hailed his support for the “Palestinian resistance,” but did not issue any overt threat.
Israel has issued warnings to the terror groups against any attempted response from the Gaza Strip to the killing of Soleimani.
The warning was transferred via Egypt, according to a Walla news site report Friday.
Soleimani was eliminated in Baghdad, Iraq by an American drone on Friday morning along with several Iraqi militia commanders.
On the streets of Tehran on Saturday, supporters of the Islamic Republic regime mourned Soleimani and demanded revenge.
“I don’t think there will be a war, but we must get his revenge,” said Hojjat Sanieefar. America “can’t hit and run anymore,” he added.
Another man, who only identified himself as Amir, said he was worried.
“If there is a war, I am 100% sure it will not be to our betterment. The situation will certainly get worse,” he said.
Meanwhile Iran’s state TV reported that Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, made an unplanned trip to Iran where he met with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Qatari diplomat was also set to meet with Rouhani.
Qatar hosts American forces at the Al-Udeid Air Base and shares a massive offshore oil and gas field with Tehran. It has often served as a regional mediator.
Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, took to Twitter to reiterate the kingdom’s call for “self-restraint” to avoid “unbearable consequences.”
Another Saudi official confirmed to the Associated Press that the U.S. did not give a heads-up to Saudi Arabia or its other Gulf allies before carrying out the strike that killed Soleimani. The official was not authorized to discuss security matters and so spoke on condition of anonymity.
