Hamas slams "Israeli" plan to build 22 new settlements in West Bank

Hamas issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday condemning the "Israeli" government’s recent approval of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the move a “clear act of annexation” and a violation of international law.

Hamas described the decision as a continuation of "Israeli" efforts to impose new realities on the ground by accelerating the occupation of Palestinian land. The group accused the "Israeli" government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of pursuing a policy of “war crimes and ongoing ethnic cleansing” through settlement expansion.

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“This is further confirmation that the criminal Zionist occupation is pressing ahead with its project to forcibly annex Palestinian territory,” the statement read, labeling the "Israeli" leadership as “a government of terrorists and extremists.”

The statement went on to call on the UN and the international community to move beyond what Hamas described as “formal condemnations,” and instead take urgent, tangible steps to curb what it called "Israel’s" attempt to “liquidate the Palestinian cause.”

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Hamas demanded that global actors adopt “practical and deterrent measures” to halt the annexation and expansion policies, warning that failure to do so would embolden further violations of international norms and rights.

In addition to appealing to the international community, Hamas also called upon the Palestinian people, resistance factions, and popular forces to escalate confrontation on all fronts. The movement urged Palestinians to resist what it termed “terrorist settler gangs” by “all legitimate means” in defense of Palestinian land, holy sites, and national rights.