Hamas and other Palestinian factions are preparing for the biggest peaceful march along the Gaza and Israeli border regions on May 14, marking the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.
The rally will be part of the activities of the “Great March of Return,” which started on March 30. The activities have witnessed weekly protests at the Gaza border. Israeli soldiers have shot and killed scores of Palestinians throughout these rallies.
Hamas spokesman Abdullatif al-Qanou stated that the mid-May march will be the greatest in Palestinian history.
His statements came days after remarks by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in which he affirmed that these marches will continue until their goals are accomplished, especially in breaking the Israeli siege.
Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batsh stressed, during a news conference that was attended by officials from Hamas and other factions, the importance of confronting all Israeli attempts to stop the popular rallies.
He urged Palestinians to participate in a march on Friday that will serve as a preparation for the great march of May 14.
Amid these preparations, Israel has raised its alert level in anticipation of the border rallies.
The Haaretz daily said that the Israeli military was bracing for more tensions on the border.
The army was preparing for Hamas to garner some 100,000 protesters in the march. It also did not rule out attempts of mass infiltration into Israel through the border.
It warned that dozens of unarmed Palestinians could be killed in case the border was breached.
Since the eruption of the weekly protests, Israel has come under international criticism of its use of live ammunition in confronting the unarmed Palestinian demonstrators.
