Hamas rejects IRGC claim, affirms Al-Aqsa operation motives

GAZA — A statement issued by Hamas on Wednesday rejected the earlier claim by a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation was launched to avenge the killing of Al-Quds Brigades leader Qassem Soleimani in 2020. "We deny the validity of what was stated by the spokesman of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the Al-Aqsa Flood operation and its motives," the Hamas statement said. "We have repeatedly confirmed the motives and reasons for the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, foremost among which are the dangers threatening Al-Aqsa Mosque. We affirm that all Palestinian resistance actions come in response to the presence of the occupation and its continued aggression against our people and our sanctities," it concluded. Since October 7, Tehran has stated on multiple occasions that it had no prior knowledge of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Read more Region and World Jordan News Read More Martyrs and Missing Under Rubble in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza UNRWA: The So-Called "Humanitarian City" in Southern Gaza Would Be a Mass Detention Camp for Palestinians Haaretz: At Least 15 Israeli Soldiers Have Died by Suicide Since the Beginning of the Year