Gaza Judge Omar Nofal, who serves on Gaza’s Sharia court, said on Hamas TV on August 8 that “jihad” against Israel is an individual duty.
Nofal’s interview on Hamas TV, translated by MEMRI, begins with Nofal hyping the “72 Virgins of Paradise” as well as “the crown of honor” that martyrs earn in the afterlife.
“How can anyone cling to this world after hearing all of these great rewards?” Nofal said. “You can see that our young people have renounced life in this world, and hastened (to become martyrs).”
Nofal claimed that this is one of the reasons why “the Palestinian people have emerged victorious in all battles.”
“You can see that when the rockets are raining down, our young people march toward martyrdom,” Nofal said. “On the other hand, as soon as our enemies hear the siren – I’m talking about sirens and balloons, not rockets – when they hear the sirens, all of them – the police, the civil defense and, the soldiers – throw themselves to the ground and have a panic attack.”
Toward the end of the clip, Nofal states, “Regarding the situation in Palestine, I say that jihad is an individual duty incumbent upon the entire nation. Nobody is allowed to forsake this jihad.”
On Hamas TV, Gaza Judge Omar Nofal Extolls the Six Virtues of Martyrdom, Says: Jihad in Palestine Is an Individual Duty Incumbent upon All Muslims pic.twitter.com/vrjYIX1fEB
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) August 9, 2018
Nofal’s comments come amidst Hamas shooting rockets and fiery kites and balloons into Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon is calling on the U.N. to put the full responsibility on the escalation in violence on Hamas.
“Alarms have once again shattered the hope of the children of southern Israel for a quiet summer vacation – no country would tolerate such a situation,” Danon said. “The international community must condemn Hamas and place the responsibility for this unacceptable onslaught on the terrorist organization”
