In a statement released on Thursday, Hamas urged the Palestinian people in the occupied territories and across the world, as well as the Arab and Muslim world, to participate in mass protests on Friday and Sunday under the banners "Open the Rafah crossing" and "Stop the genocidal war on Gaza."
The statement emphasized the need for global participation, stating, "We call on our people throughout the homeland and outside, and on all the members of the Arab and Islamic nation, and the free people of the world, to intensify the popular mobilization in the coming days, and to demonstrate actively on Friday and Sunday under the slogan ‘Open the Rafah crossing’ and ‘Stop the genocidal war on Gaza.’"
Hamas cited the "horrific massacres and the genocidal war" committed by the Israeli regime and its "Nazi army" against unarmed Palestinian civilians, particularly children and women, as the motivation behind these protests.
The call for protests coincides with the dire situation in Gaza, where the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, intensifying the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
The Rafah border crossing serves as the only lifeline for Gaza's 2.3 million residents, who are grappling with severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel due to the Israeli blockade.
The conflict in Gaza was triggered by Israel's attack on October 7 following a surprise offensive by Hamas-led resistance groups into Israeli-occupied territories in response to Israel's intensified actions against the Palestinian people.
Medical sources in Gaza report a death toll of at least 7,028, a figure that includes 2,913 children, 1,709 women and 397 elderly.