Hamas: March of Return to Continue Through Ramadan, Spread to West Bank

The series of weekly violent Palestinian protests known as the March of Return will not end on May 15th, the day that the Palestinians mark as Nakba Day, but will continue through Ramadan, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday.

Attending a meeting of religious clerics ahead of the month-long fast of Ramadan, which commences May 16, Haniyeh said the protests would not end, as originally planned, as they have ‘strategic goals.’ did not lay out any specific goals.

Since the protests began on March 30th, at least 36 protesters have been killed by IDF fire, and hundreds more wounded. A report published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center earlier in April, found that at least 26 of those killed were involved with terrorist organizations.

The protests on the Gaza border “brought the Palestinian issue back to center stage, and revived the memory of the right of return,” Haniyeh said. The protests would also spoil Israeli celebrations surrounding the move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem [May 14], as well as the celebrations marking Israel’s victory in the Six Day War in 1967 [which is marked by Jerusalem Day on May 13]  Haniyeh added.

Haniyeh added furthermore that the protests would no longer be isolated to the Gaza border would spread throughout Judea and Samaria.