Al-Qassam Brigades urges Hajj pilgrims to pray for Gaza

The spokesperson for Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, addressed the Islamic Ummah in a message posted on his Telegram channel on Saturday, as Muslims from around the world head to pray on Mount Arafat as part of their Hajj. 

Abu Obeida called upon Muslim pilgrims to remember Palestinians and their Resistance during their Hajj as the war on Gaza rages on for more than 250 days. 

“We call on the pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah to remember their brothers in Gaza and Palestine with their sincere prayers in the holy sites and during Hajj rituals and to remember Gaza and its patient people and its mujahideen in these great and blessed times,” the spokesperson wrote. 

He reminded the Islamic Ummah that as pilgrims visit the holy sites in Mecca, Palestinians and Resistance fighters are “performing [the duty of] Jihad against the enemies of Allah.”

He added that the Resistance in Gaza is fighting the “usurping occupiers (Israelis), on behalf of the great Ummah of Islam.”

Abu Obeida pointed to the fact that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was launched to defend al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the most sacred Islamic sites, saying that this was done as a reminder to the Islamic Ummah “of the reality of our struggle with our enemy.”

He explained that the Israeli enemy was violating the site and attempting to Judaize the mosque and surrounding areas. 

Abu Obeida’s announcement comes as the Palestinian Resistance marks its 253rd day of valiantly resisting the Israeli occupation’s war crimes and its subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip in late October 2023. 

The spokesperson had reiterated on several different occasions the necessity of supporting the Palestinian cause, as a humanitarian, moral, and religious obligation incumbent on all people all over the world. 

His call for support has been answered by different entities and individuals around the world, including members of the Axis of Resistance, in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, where military operations aiding Gaza have been launched non-stop.