Al-Qassam Website - The chief of staff of Hamas's military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, has declared the commencement of a military operation titled "Al-Aqsa Flood" against the Israeli occupation. 

The operation comes in response to what Deif described as the persistent crimes committed by the Israeli colonial occupation against the Palestinian people, their holy sites, and their homeland.

Deif, the commander-in-chief of Al-Qassam Brigades, highlighted the long-standing suffering of the Palestinian people due to the Israeli settler colonial occupation that has displaced the Palestinian people, and perpetrated numerous massacres, including the killing of children, women, and the elderly.

He underscored the destruction of towns and villages, which he said "violates international norms, laws, and human rights conventions".

The al-Qassam top commander asserted that warnings were previously issued to the Israeli occupation, urging it to stop its violations, while appealing to world leaders to intervene. 

However, according to Deif, these calls were ignored, leading to an intensification of Israeli occupation crimes, particularly in occupied Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The statement outlined a series of provocations by Israeli occupation forces, including incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, desecration of Muslim sacred sites, and repeated attacks on worshippers, particularly targeting women, children, and the elderly. 

Deif accused Israeli colonial settlers of defiling the sacred site, conducting daily raids, and expressing intentions to build a temple on the ruins of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The announcement of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" military operation comes amidst a backdrop of the occupation's attempts to impose new fait accompli on the ground by attacking Palestinian citizens, seizing their homes, and desecrating historical sites.

Deif further pointed out the dire situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli occupation forces storm towns and villages on a daily basis, carrying out raids, ransacking homes, and detaining Palestinian citizens. 

The chief of staff also highlighted the extensive seizure of Palestinian territory for illegal settlements, displacing residents and providing cover for colonial settlers to terrorise Palestinians.

The statement concluded with a condemnation of the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation. 

Deif accused the Israeli settler colonial occupation of maintaining utter disregard for international laws and resolutions, while enjoying support from the U.S. and Western nations, coupled with international silence. 

In response to these injustices, the Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to launch the "Al-Aqsa Flood" military operation against the Israeli occupation, he concluded.