Sheikh Isa Qassim Hails Palestinians Operation against Israel

Bahrain’s highest Shia religious authority Sheikh Isa Qassim has hailed the Palestinian operation by the Hamas resistance movement against Israel.

In a statement released on Monday, the senior cleric said Operation al-Aqsa Storm was a “humiliation, disgrace, and a scandal” for the Israeli regime.

“The al-Aqsa Flood is a rare lesson in courage, intense bravery, enormous sacrificial risk, careful planning, [and] abundant faith,” the statement read.

Sheikh Qassim said the message of the operation should be “received by our glorious nation [Ummah] of faith” as a demonstration that “nothing stands between the nation and sweeping victory except a united stance to recover Palestine.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the cleric condemned certain Muslim countries for normalization of relations with Israel. He also denounced Manama’s decision in 2020 to establish official diplomatic ties with Israel.

“There is no longer any room for feeling weak, nor for respecting normalization or being courteous to those who call for it,” the Shia cleric said. “Today, the nation’s confidence in victory must grow, its determination to defeat the enemy must intensify, and its unity on this path must be achieved.”

Israel has stepped up attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip as its troops struggled to clear out Hamas resistance fighters more than two days after they burst across the fence from Gaza and overran a number of Israeli bases.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the regime was “at war.”

Netanyahu’s office said the cabinet voted to put Israel officially at war, and it can carry out “significant military activities.”

The decision, announced on Sunday, formally authorizes “the taking of significant military steps,” it said in a statement.