Hamas calls for “Friday of Rage” in support of Al-Aqsa, Gaza, West Bank and prisoners
The Hamas Movement on Thursday called on the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and free people around the world to make Friday a day of support, rage and loyalty to Palestinian causes, foremost among them Al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and prisoners.
In a press statement, the Movement urged Palestinians and supporters to raise their voices in countries, capitals and public squares around the world, and to reaffirm that the Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain at the heart of Palestine and the Muslim nation, and that its Islamic identity cannot be uprooted or erased.
The call coincides with the 57th anniversary of the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which falls on Friday, August 21, 2026, after the extremist Australian Christian Denis Michael Rohan deliberately set fire to the eastern wing of the Qibli prayer hall on the morning of August 21, 1969.
Hamas said the arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque was “one episode in an ongoing and escalating campaign targeting the Mosque to this day,” describing it as part of Israel’s war to Judaize the Mosque and impose control and division over it.
The Movement stressed that these attempts will not achieve their goals in the face of Palestinian steadfastness and attachment to their rights and holy sites, saying Israel’s “aggression and crimes” will not grant it legitimacy no matter how much time passes.
Hamas warned of the danger of current developments at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and what it described as plans to demolish and Judaize it, calling for the anniversary of the arson attack to become a renewed moment of support for Jerusalem and its people.
It also called for raising voices against incursions, settlement expansion, expulsion orders and abuse, and for rejecting all attempts to impose temporal and spatial division on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Movement renewed its pledge to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to the blood of the slain Palestinians, to the sacrifices of prisoners and to the steadfastness of Palestinians in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, stressing its commitment to remaining loyal to these sacrifices.
Hamas concluded its statement by affirming the continuation of resistance, saying it would “not tire or relent” until the Palestinian people gain their freedom and their land and holy sites are “cleansed” of occupation.