The Hamas military wing claimed responsibility on Monday evening for a deadly shooting that left an Israeli security guard dead at the entrance to the city of Ariel in Judea and Samaria last week, saying the attack was retaliation for Israeli actions on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
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It was the first time since 2018 that Hamas has claimed such an attack targeting Israelis in Judea and Samaria. Friday evening's attack was the latest in a long string of incidents in recent weeks. Tensions have mounted after deadly attacks on Israelis by Palestinian terrorists and clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police on the Temple Mount.
The site contains the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest place in Islam. It is also the holiest site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount because it is the location of the biblical Temples destroyed in antiquity.
"This is an episode in a series of responses by Al-Qassam Brigades to the aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque," Hamas' armed wing said in a short statement, marking a fundamental change in the terrorist group's policies.
"The fighters of the al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank still have the sword of Jerusalem drawn for all Palestinian fighters everywhere," the statement continued.
The claim of responsibility essentially signals that Hamas no longer fears "leaving its fingerprints" behind and is willing to assume more risks and consequences, a sign to Israel that it is now facing a new challenge.
One of the reasons Hamas has thus far avoided such claims of responsibility was its desire to keep Gaza out of the fight in Judea and Samaria, with the group's leaders preferring not to give Israel an "excuse" to attack the coastal enclave in response to attacks in Judea and Samaria.
Israel said Saturday that it had arrested two Palestinians suspected of carrying out the shooting that killed 23-year-old Vyacheslav Golev.
On Sunday, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar called for more attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria, saying the "real battle arena is there." In a speech, Sinwar saluted the terrorists who killed the guard.
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