A new music video aired on Sunday on Hamas's al-Aqsa TV network urges the resumption of suicide bombings on Israelis. The video shows portraits of Yahya Ayyash (Hamas's deceased chief bombmaker) and the murderers of the Henkin couple ,and a blackened Egged bus billowing smoke.
The Lebanese band responsible for the video, the Promise of Islamic Art, was formed in 1992, and is affiliated with Hamas. It has written numerous songs that support the organization and its military wing.
- Last week, Hamas praised the attack in Jerusalem that killed 19-year-old Border Policewoman Hadar Cohen ,one of the most well-organized attacks in recent months: "We welcome the action that the three heroic fighters performed in occupied Jerusalem.
"This is a blow to the Israeli security forces, as the three heroes came from Jenin to Jerusalem and were able to enter the city despite roadblocks that are spread throughout the West Bank," continued the Hamas statement. "This operation proves that the Palestinian people insist on continuing the Intifada despite all obstacles, and is also a clear message to the occupation, whereby further harm to the Al Aqsa mosque will not quietly be ignored. "
The infammatory video comes at a time of mounting tension on the Gaza border. Ismail Haniyeh recently hinted that Hamas was digging tunnels towards Israel east of Gaza City, while another Hamas official said that the tunnels have already crossed the border into Israel. "The tunnels reach a depth beyond the Gaza Strip," said Zahar. "The land that was occupied in '48 is not safe”.