31 October 2000

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

More escalation, confrontations and days of rage

Our people’s retaliation to the Zionist aggression

As the blessed Aqsa Intifadha enters its second month, Zionist aggression and terrorism escalated and the enemy’s army crimes continued including shelling our unarmed people with tanks, helicopter gunships and missiles. The heavily armed herds of settlers intensified their acts of revenge and murder against our people while the fall of martyrs and wounded continued along the road of Jihad, resistance and steadfastness in defense of the Aqsa, Al-Quds and each and every inch of our holy land.

Thousand greetings to our people’s heroes … men and youths … women and children for their heroic steadfastness and strong challenge to the enemy’s army and aggression. We vow to the blood of martyrs and wounded to continue along our path and Jihad until our people’s goals are realized in driving the occupation away from our lands and holy shrines.

At the time when the Zionist aggressive savagery continues, we in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, affirm the following:

First: We call on our Palestinian masses and all Islamic and nationalist forces to forge more cohesion and unity along the road of continuation of the Aqsa Intifadha, to escalate struggle and confrontation against the enemy’s army and herds of settlers. We call on them not to heed any pressures or attempts to calm down or halt the Intifadha until its goals of expelling the occupiers are achieved. We also call on our people to retaliate to the Zionist aggression and terrorism through more escalation, confrontations and days of rage.

Second: We urge all our people, heroes and Mujahideen to chase and target enemy soldiers and settlers in all areas of our occupied Palestinian lands: in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, Gaza Strip and our lands occupied in 1948. Surprise the enemy with your operations and brave resistance with arms, knives, Molotov cocktails and all available resistance tools and forms. We extend our salutation to the heroes who launched the heroic operation in Al-Quds and the martyrdom operation in Gaza.

Third: We appreciate the Arab countries that responded to our calls and our people’s requests for solidarity with the Aqsa Intifadha and severed relations with the criminal enemy. Meanwhile, we appeal to the other countries, which are still establishing relations with the enemy of our people and Nation and allowing its embassies and representation offices to continue functioning, to immediately sever those relations in retaliation to the enemy’s crimes and continued massacres against our families and children and in solidarity with the blessed Aqsa Intifadha.

Fourth: We salute our Arab and Islamic masses that are still reacting in solidarity with our people and that are still organizing programs in support of the Aqsa and in condemnation of the Zionist aggression. We call on those masses and all Arab and Islamic peoples topped by the movements, forces, parties, syndicates, popular and trade unions and students’ councils to continue their activities and solidarity with our people in the lengthy and hard battle against the Zionist aggression and occupation. We also appeal to the Arab and Islamic media to continue exposing the Zionist aggression and highlighting our people’s sufferings, steadfastness and Jihad. For the battle is ongoing ... the Intifadha is persisting … the Zionist repression and aggression is escalating … and the martyrs and wounded are still falling.

The Islamic Resistance Movement
(Hamas – Palestine)
31 October 2000