News - Middle East - Palestine: The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has warned that the Israeli regime would face escalation unless it withdrew its forces from two flashpoint areas in the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

Hamas issued on Monday a one-hour ultimatum for the occupying regime to stand down its forces from the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound and Jerusalem al-Quds' Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

"The leadership of the resistance gives the occupation until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) to withdraw its soldiers... from the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah," a Hamas spokesman said in a statement. "You have been warned."

Since the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Israel has been carrying out repeated assaults on Palestinian worshippers and protesters at the compound, which is Islam’s third-holiest site located in al-Quds’ Old City.

Also during the month, Israeli forces and settlers tried to force Palestinian families to abandon their homes in Sheikh Jarrah in an attempt to make way for the construction of a new illegal settlement there.

In the latest round of violence, at least 17 people, including one Palestinian paramedic, were injured during peaceful demonstrations across the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds on Sunday evening.

Outside the Old City, at least 90 Palestinians were wounded a day earlier when Israeli police attacked protesters. Another 200 Palestinians sustained injuries on Friday when Israeli forces stormed al-Aqsa Mosque.

We will not accept Israeli plans in Jerusalem: Hamas

Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas chief and political leader, condemned in a statement on Monday the Israeli aggression on al-Aqsa Mosque and said the Palestinian resistance movement would not accept the Tel Aviv regime’s plans in Jerusalem al-Quds.

“We assure our Palestinian people and Ummah that we will not accept the Israeli plans to be implemented in Jerusalem. Field action and resistance will continue to prevent the Israeli occupation and settlers from achieving their goals,” Haniyeh said.

“We will continue to rally support for Jerusalem and its Palestinian population at the political, diplomatic, media and humanitarian levels to reinforce their steadfastness.” 

Haniyeh also warned Tel Aviv that Hamas is “ready and motivated and will not remain silent if the Israeli occupation did not backtrack and put an end to its devilish schemes.”

Palestinians stone Israeli car, causing it to crash

In another development on Monday, a group of Palestinians pelted an Israeli car with rocks outside the walled Jerusalem al-Quds' Old City after hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces outside al-Aqsa Mosque in violence that coincided with what the regime calls Jerusalem Day – the day East Jerusalem al-Quds was occupied in 1967 and later illegally annexed by the Israeli regime.

The CCTV footage showed the car was pelted by the Palestinians and then swerved into a junction, striking one of the stone-throwers and pinioning itself on a pavement barricade.

After the collision took place, an Israeli police officer arrived and fired his pistol in the air to disperse the crowd.

Source: Press TV