The shadowy figure who heads Hamas military wing leader on Tuesday issued a rare public statement, waring Israel of retaliation if it doesn't change its East Jerusalem policy.
Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said Israel will pay a "heavy price" if it doesn't stop the eviction of Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the capital. "This is a clear and final warning," Deif said.
Deif survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts, two of which left him seriously injured. Little is known about the military chief, who rarely makes public statements and never appears in public.
Palestinians have been clashing with police in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood every night in the past week, after a Jerusalem court approved the removal of 58 people from homes that according to right-wing groups, belonged to Jewish residents before the 1948 War of Independence.
Three people were detained by police during clashes late on Tuesday.
3 View gallery
Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian amid ongoing confrontations as Palestinian families face eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood
(Photo: AFP)
Seven of the eight families facing eviction appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court which will decide the matter later this month. One family had already exhausted further legal options after the High Court of Justice ruled that their eviction was in accordance with the law.
The holiest night of Ramadan Laylat al-Qadr, or "night of power" that marks the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven to the world, falls between Sunday and Monday of next week - the same day that Israel celebrates Jerusalem Day, marking the unification of the city after the 1967 Six Day War.
Security officials are concerned about potential clashes that might break out between Jews and Palestinians on the day.
3 View gallery
A Gaza man demonstrates Jerusalem police clashes with Palestinians during Ramadan
(Photo: Reuters)
The Hamas terror group has been threatening violent retaliation for any Israeli attempt to curtail Palestinian worship.
Hamas political leaders Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh both demanded that Jews must not be allowed to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque compound during Laylat al Qadr. In an orchestrated media blitz Hamas has recently been attempting to rouse emotions around Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also told supporters to protect the Muslim holy sites from Jewish demonstrators.