“This operation comes in a series of responses to the desecration of our Al Aqsa [Mosque] and aggression against him, “the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement. Sixteen Israelis have been killed in a deadly wave of terrorist attacks since mid-March. Hamas officials have encouraged and praised the bloodshed, but this is the first time the terrorist group has taken credit. The “heroic, quality” attack “will not be the last, with God’s help,” the Qassam Brigades said. The Hamas military wing has rarely issued statements claiming responsibility for attacks in recent years. Even when confessed Hamas members carried out attacks – such as when a teacher in East Jerusalem killed an Israeli in the Old City last January – the terrorist group praised instead of committing the killings. Get the Times of Israel Daily E-mail and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms A video released after the attack allegedly shows the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades, a group of armed groups loosely linked to Fatah, Hamas’ main Palestinian opponents, carrying out the assassination. However, the claim could not be fully confirmed, as the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades have no official channels. Two Palestinians – 21-year-old Youssef Asi and 20-year-old Yahya Murray – have been arrested by Israeli forces in connection with Saturday’s attack in the northwestern Qarawat Bani Hassan district. Official Hamas media identified the two as members of the Qassam Brigades on Monday night. Sameeh Assi and Yahya Marei were arrested in the Palestinian city of Salfit on April 30, 2022, for a terrorist attack on April 29 at the entrance to the settlement of Ariel, where security guard Vyacheslav Golev was killed. (Screenshot of Israeli television, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law) “[The Qassam Brigades] says it’s proud of its fighters, the blessed sons of Qassam in the occupied West Bank, who still hold the “Sword of Jerusalem,” the terrorist organization said, using Hamas’s name for the May war with Israel. The victim of Friday’s attack, 23-year-old Israeli security officer Vyacheslav Golev, was buried in Beit Shemesh in central Israel on Sunday. Golf died while shielding his fiancée, Victoria Fligelman, who was on guard with him that night. An undated photo of Vyacheslav Golev killed in a shooting near Ariel on April 29, and his fiancée, Victoria Fligelman. (Courtesy) “He always defended everyone, whether his brothers, his friends, everyone he knew, if anything happened, he was always the first to defend them,” Golev’s childhood friend Daniel Zilbergstein told Channel 12. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high for weeks. The deadly wave of terror against Israeli civilians has led Israeli security forces to step up their activities in the West Bank to curb violence in early April. The ensuing clashes left several Palestinians dead. Many were fighters or claimed by terrorist groups as members. But others – such as a visually impaired woman killed in a town near Bethlehem in April – appear to have been unarmed. Meanwhile, Palestinian rioters clashed with Israeli police at the Temple Mount shrine in Jerusalem, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Palestinians hurled stones at the officers, who responded with rubber bullets, sound grenades and tear gas, injuring hundreds. Violent scenes at the scene, the holiest of Judaism and the third holiest of Islam, sparked fears of a renewed war between Israel and the Palestinians. Despite rockets being fired from Gaza in mid-April, however, the situation did not immediately worsen. On Saturday afternoon, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar delivered a threatening speech against Israel urging Palestinians in the West Bank to carry out terrorist attacks. Yahya Sinwar, Governor of Hamas in Gaza, delivers a speech in Gaza City on April 30, 2022. (Mahmud Hamas / AFP) “Our people in the West Bank, the youth of the West Bank, do not wait for anyone’s decision! “Individual operations have proven to be extremely successful,” Sinwar said in an hour-long speech. He said any further Israeli “violations” of the Al-Aqsa mosque would lead to attacks on Jewish synagogues around the world. “Anyone who decides to allow this photo to be repeated, the violation of Al-Aqsa – has decided to allow the violation of thousands of synagogues and Jewish temples around the world,” Sinwar said. We tell a critical story Israel is now a much more important player on the world stage than its size suggests. As a Diplomatic Correspondent for the Times of Israel, I am well aware that Israel’s security, strategy and national interests are always under scrutiny and have serious implications. It takes balance, determination and knowledge to accurately convey the history of Israel, and I come to work every day with the goal of doing it to the fullest. Financial support from readers like you allows me to travel to watch the war (I just returned from reporting on Ukraine) and sign historic agreements. And it enables the Times of Israel to remain the place where readers around the world turn for accurate news about Israel’s relationship with the world. If it is important for you to have and thrive on independent, fact-based coverage of Israel’s role in the world, I urge you to support our work. Will you be joining the Times of Israel today? Thank you, Lazar Berman, Diplomatic Correspondent Yes, I will give Yes, I will give Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing it You are a devoted reader We’re really glad you read the X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide demanding readers like you with the coverage they need to read about Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not created a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom the Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel. For just $ 6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel WITHOUT ADVERTISING, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thanks, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of the Times of Israel Subscribe to our community Subscribe to our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing it
