The Hamas Movement on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s renewed threat to demolish the grave of Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam near Haifa, calling the move an extreme act of desecration and a blatant assault on Islamic sanctities.

Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly targeted the historic site located in an Islamic cemetery on the land of the depopulated al-Sheikh Village, reiterated his threat this week, posting a video of himself overseeing the removal of a tent installed by the Islamic Waqf Committee near the shrine. His remarks have sparked outrage amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza.

In a statement, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said, “The extremist Itamar Ben Gvir’s threat to remove the grave of the mujahid Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, and his announcement of taking the first step toward that goal, represents an unprecedented assault on sanctities and a blatant violation of sacred sites.”

Mardawi said the threat came “after grave crimes and violations committed against our people in Gaza,” describing it as “a new desecration that extends even to the graves of the dead.”

He stressed that “targeting the grave of al-Qassam, the eminent Syrian scholar, resistance fighter, and icon of revolutionary struggle against oppression and occupation, is not merely an attack on a burial site but an attempt to erase the memory of the nation and remove a living testament to its ongoing struggle.”

“The threat exposes the depth of moral decay reached by the Israeli occupation and reflects a vindictive mentality that does not hesitate to tamper with our people’s history and their national and religious symbols,” he added.

Mardawi also warned that violating the sanctity of the dead “lays bare the fascist mindset governing the Israeli occupation government” and urged the international community to take firm action to halt what he described as escalating official extremism.

In his video, Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, declared: “This is our land, the land of the State of Israel. This is a first and important step toward removing the inciting display known as the grave of Izz al-Din al-Qassam from here.”

Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, born in Jableh, Syria, is one of the most prominent figures in the history of anti-colonial resistance in Palestine. He led armed struggle against British rule before being killed by British forces in Jenin on November 19, 1935. Hamas’s military wing later adopted his name in honor of his legacy. (ILKHA)