The leader of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, called on Palestinians Saturday to be ready for the "great battle" against Israel to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
"Our people must prepare for a great battle if the occupation does not cease its aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque," he said during a meeting with military leaders from several Palestinian factions, in addition to journalists and intellectuals in Gaza.
Displaying a photo of Israeli police raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque, he said, "This photo will not be repeated. Whoever makes the decision to allow this photo to be repeated, has decided to allow the violation of thousands of synagogues all across the world."
He accused Israel of seeking to turn the clashes into Al-Aqsa into a religious war.
The Palestinians do no want such a conflict, but they are up to the challenge if it is imposed on them, he added.
A religious war, such as the one desired by Israel, will not spare anyone, he warned.
He called on the Palestinian factions and all Palestinians to prepare for the "great battle" if the Israelis do not cease their violations at Al-Aqsa.
"The battle will not conclude with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but it will only begin if the violations persist," Sinwar said.
However, he called on the world to act to prevent this war.
"Currently, there is an opportunity to prevent this war, but our military wings must still be prepared for it,” he stressed.
Moreover, Sinwar confirmed that Hamas has prepared 1,111 missiles that will be launched in the next confrontation with Israel.
