Hamas leader prays in Gaza synagogue

Hours after thousands of Palestinians desecrated synagogues in Gaza, setting them on fire and taking buildings apart by hand, members of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, headed by senior Hamas chief Mahmoud Zahar, arrived at the synagogue in Kfar Darom and held a Muslim prayer session at the site.

Ahmad Jabari, another senior figure in Hamas, said that Hamas would continue to attack Israel. “The withdrawal proves that the resistance is the only legitimate weapon. We will strike at any hand that reaches for our weapons,” said Jabari.

Islamic prayers in Kfar Darom synagogue (Photo: AFP)

'Jihad the only way'

“The jihad and the resistance are the only ways to liberate our homeland, not negotiations and agreements,” said Jabari. The Hamas leader ruled out the possibility that Hamas members would join Palestinian security forces, saying, “we will never be part of that corrupt Authority,” before waving his gun.

Earlier, thousands of Palestinian burst into abandoned Israeli settlements in Gaza Monday morning, where they burned a synagogue and took away pieces of the rubble. They Palestinian Authority later bulldozed the synagogue.

Palestinian security forces stood on the side and did not act to restrain the crowds, and failed to prevent the chaotic scenes.

In Kfar Darom, dozens of gunmen from the Popular Front wandered around unchallenged by Palestinian Authority security forces, who sat underneath trees in silence.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom slammed the burning of Gaza synagogues, characterizing it as “a barbaric act by people who have no respect for holy places.”

However, Yossi Sarid (Meretz-Yahad), said that “it was known from the start that this destruction would happened. How easy it is for the government to blame someone for this, to condemn the Palestinians with rage.”

News agencies contributed to this report