The following are MEMRI TV clips of the Gaza "Return March" cover rallies, Friday sermons, reports of children's participation, and statements by activists, scholars, and others. Participants are seen chanting antisemitic slogans, calling for jihad and martyrdom, and inciting violence.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6551: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: Holocaust, Massacres of European Jews Due to Their Function in Society as Usurers; Hitler Struck a Deal with the Jews
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that the massacres to which European Jews were subjected, from the 11th century until the Holocaust, were not because they were Jews, but because of their function in society. "The anti-Jewish [sentiment] was not because of their religion, but because of their function in society, which had to do with usury, banks, and so on," he said in his speech at the Palestinian National Council in Ramallah on April 30. Abbas further said that Hitler had struck a deal with the Jewish Anglo-Palestine Bank in Jerusalem to facilitate emigration of German Jews to Palestine. "Their narrative about coming to this country because of their longing for Zion, or whatever – we're tired of hearing this," he said. "The truth is that this is a colonialist enterprise, aimed at planting a foreign body in this region."
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6549: Gaza Poet Hanin Ahed Al-Hato Sings to 'Despicable Trump': Whoever Tries to Attack Jerusalem – Woe Unto Him! – Scenes from Gaza 'Return March'
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Gaza poet Hanin Ahed Al-Hato, interviewed at a venue of the Return March, sang a song she wrote about Jerusalem. The song includes lines such as "Let those filthy people plan the destruction," "Oh despicable Trump, you have no conscience," and "Whoever tries to attack you – woe unto him!" Al-Hato was filmed singing her song by the Palestinian Al-Hadath newspaper, and the footage was posted on the Internet on April 25.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6547: At Gaza Rally Held By 'Tire-Burning Unit,' Demonstrators Brandish Wire-Cutters, Chant Antisemitic Slogans – Scenes From Gaza 'Return March'
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In footage from a rally held in Gaza, posted on the Internet on April 28, demonstrators shout slogans such as "Oh Jews, you women" and "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, Muhammad's army has started to return!" The banner held by the protesters identifies them as the "Tire-Burning Unit." Some of the protesters can be seen brandishing wire-cutters, used in recent days by Palestinians trying to breach Israel's border fence.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6546: Young Palestinian Girl: I Am Not Afraid, Martyrs In The Millions Are Marching To Jerusalem – Scenes From Gaza 'Return March'
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Asked by a reporter if she wasn't afraid to come to the Return March rally, a young Palestinian girl responded: "What have I got to be afraid of? Their filthy weapons?" She said: "Let's see the occupation army come here and face me without its weapons!" and chanted: "Martyrs in the millions are marching to Jerusalem," as people around cheered and cried "Allah Akbar." The footage, filmed by Ihab Omar Fasfous, was posted on the Internet on April 26.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6545: Members Of Gaza 'Fence Cutters' Unit' Proclaims: Victory Or Martyrdom! – Scenes From Gaza 'Return March'
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On April 27, Al-Aqsa TV aired footage of the "Fence Cutters' Unit" in Gaza. In it, masked members of the unit stood brandishing wire cutters and chanted: "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad has begun to return." One of the members proclaimed, "Today, we cut the Zionist enemy's main barbed wire fence on the Gaza border," and declared that "this enemy is destined for perdition." Warning Israeli settlers to "leave immediately, before it is too late," he said that "the Palestinian revolution will not cease until victory or martyrdom!"
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6543: Friday Sermon By Gaza Cleric Musa Abu Jleidan: The 'Return March' Goes Hand In Hand With Jihad By The Sword; The Jews Are The Philosophers Of Terrorism And Crime
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In a Friday sermon, Gaza cleric Sheikh Musa Abu Jleidan said that the "Great Return March" is a "form of Jihad" that "does not eliminate the need for Jihad by the sword, by missiles, and by rockets." "They go hand in hand," he said. Speaking at Masjid Al-Abrar, Rafah, on April 27, Sheikh Abu Jleidan further said that the Jews "are the philosophers of terrorism and crime, people of treachery and deceit, who slayed the prophets of Allah." The sermon was posted on Sheikh Abu Jleidan's YouTube channel.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6542: Palestinian Authority Friday Sermon By Abbas Advisor Mahmoud Habbash: Hamas Leaders Are Reckless Gamblers, Sacrificing Gaza Women And Children
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In a Friday sermon, Mahmoud Habbash, advisor to PA President Abbas, slammed Hamas for "sending children to be killed or lose a limb, while [its] leaders are having a good time." Speaking on April 27 in a sermon that was attended by President Abbas and was broadcast on the official PA TV channel, Habbash called Hamas "agenda-driven and reckless gamblers," whose "only job is to go to funerals and to visit mourning tents," and he urged Gazans to keep their actions peaceful.
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MEMRI TV Clip 6541: Hamas Cleric And TV Host Iyad Abu Funun: We Must Return To Our Land By All Means – Including Bombs And Explosive Belts
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Speaking on his Al-Aqsa TV show, Hamas cleric and TV host Iyad Abu Funun declared: "We must return to [our land] - above ground, underground, by means of demonstrations, bombs, weapons, explosives, explosive belts... We must return to our land." The show included an animated film, in which Palestinian men are shown attacking Israeli towns in the West Bank with rifles, missiles, and hand-grenades, torching homes and leaving the land barren and in flames. The show aired on April 5, against the backdrop of the Return March protests.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6537: Gaza Scholar Morshid At 'Return March': Brandish Sword Of Jihad, Fight The Jews; 'The Prophet's Treatment Of Jews... [Was] Violence And Force... This Is What All Muslims Should Know'
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Standing at the "Return March" venue, Gaza scholar Khaled Hany Morshid said that "one of the greatest duties, and one of the best forms of worship in our day, is to fight those Jews." Calling upon all Muslims to "carry out glorious deeds" against them, he said that "the Jews will never stop this enmity unless the sword of Jihad for the sake of Allah is brandished, and they are made an example of, as was done by the Prophet Muhammad." Morshid posted the video of himself on his social media channels on April 14.
MEMRI TV Clip 6533: Al-Jazeera TV Host Jamal Rayyan Supports Hamas, Islamic Jihad: The Foreigners Will Go Back to Where They Came From
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Al-Jazeera TV host Jamal Rayyan said that "the Zionist entity is a foreign body on Palestinian and Arab land" and that like the sea, Palestine "will spew out that which is foreign." "They will go back to where they came from," he said. Rayyan posted the video of his statements on YouTube on March 27.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6532: Gaza Activists Use 'Firebomb Kites' To Set Fire To Israeli Fields And Houses: Hundreds Of Kites Will Be Flown Toward The Enemies
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Various sources reported on the activity of the "Sons of Zouari" unit, which uses burning kites to fly over the border and set fire to Israeli fields. In an April 18 report, Al-Jazeera interviewed an activist, who, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, threatened: "Not dozens but hundreds of kites will be flown toward the enemies, burning their crops, and causing them confusion and panic, Allah willing." The Wattan News Agency, in an April 20 report, interviewed a masked activist, who explained how they prepared the kites, which are "just like the ones kids fly on the beach," but used "for something more important - as a Molotov cocktail." The report included footage showing the activists set fire to the kites and fly them, as people, including children, milled around. Mohamed Zouari was a Tunisian engineer with the Al-Qassam Brigades, who supervised the unmanned aircraft manufacturing program of Hamas, before his assassination in December 2016 in Sfax, Tunisia.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6524: During Champions League Match, Al-Jazeera Spinoff Qatari BeIN Sports TV Broadcaster Hafid Derradji Salutes 'Steadfast Viewers' In The Gaza Strip For Their 'Great Marches Of Return'
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Algerian sports broadcaster Hafid Derradji went off on a political tangent during his running commentary of the Manchester City vs Liverpool qualifying match for the Champions League semi-finals on April 10. Derradji, who was broadcasting the game on the Qatari BeIN Sports TV channel – an Al-Jazeera TV spinoff – said: "We hope our subscribers in all Arab countries will enjoy [the game] – especially our steadfast viewers in the Gaza Strip and the occupied lands." He went on to salute them as heroes and to say: "We wish them all the best in their great Marches of Return to the lands that have been occupied since 1948." The commentary was later posted online by several Palestinian websites.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6517: Palestinian Authority TV Reports On Wounded Child Participating In Gaza Return March: We Love President Mahmoud Abbas
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The Palestinian Authority's official TV channel reported on a boy, Abd Al-Hamid Qadouha, preparing to join the Gaza "Return March" despite having been wounded by a tear gas canister. Abd Al-Hamid donned combat gear, carried a Palestinian flag, and wore a picture of President Mahmoud Abbas on his chest, and he, his aunt, and his father pledged support for Abbas. "He is our president, and we love him. I wear his picture because he protects us and our country," explained Abd Al-Hamid. The report aired on April 9.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6516: Hamas Culture Of Martyrdom – Preacher Mahmoud Al-Khila: Those Next To The Martyr Receive Divine Reward Too, Of A Lesser Degree
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Gaza preacher Mahmoud Al-Khila said that the martyr is not the only one to receive divine reward. "Someone could be standing right next to his brother - one gets martyred, another gets wounded, and a third returns unharmed. ... the reward is one and the same, but it is a matter of degree." He cited a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, saying that a martyr feels no more pain upon his martyrdom than the sting of a mosquito or an ant. His statements aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV on April 8.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6512: Mother Brings Three-Month-Old Baby To Gaza 'Return March,' Declares: We Will March To Our Villages – Martyrs In The Millions
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Maryam Abu Qandil, a three-month-old baby brought to the Gaza "Return March," is the focus of an April 6 report by the Palestinian Authority TV channel. Her mother, Nasrin Abu Yusuf, said that she is the youngest baby to come to the "Return March," and added that "we shall remain loyal to the wills of the martyrs, which were written in their pure blood." The anchor urged the reporter to get the baby's name "so that the world will know the name of the youngest baby in the Great Return March," and added that bringing a three-month-old baby to the march, "to realize her will to return to her land and her home, despite all the weapons, the snipers, and the tear gas," reflects "eternal love for Palestine and its children."
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6510: Abbas' Advisor Mahmoud Habbash Alludes To Hamas In Palestinian Authority Friday Sermon: They Are Peddling In The People's Suffering And Blood
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Mahmoud Habbash, advisor to Palestinian Authority [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, denounced Hamas for "selling illusions" and "peddling in the suffering of the people and even in their blood." Habbash said: "[They say:] Oh Palestinians, go and die, so that I can appear on TV and on other media outlets, and deliver a fierce statement." The Friday sermon was broadcast on the official PA TV channel on April 6, against the backdrop of the Gaza "Return March" clashes.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6506: In Friday Sermon, Imam Chants Antisemitic Slogans, Adds: We Have Come Here to Execute the Decision of Allah and the Resolution of the U.N. – Scenes from Gaza 'Return March'
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In a Friday sermon held east of Khan Yunis, at one of the "Return March" camps, Imam Muhammad Salah, "Abu Raab," led the congregation in chanting "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammad is here." Imam Salah declared that "the herds of plundering Jews will leave Palestine," and told the worshippers that their goal was "to execute the decision of Allah," as manifest in the Quran, "as well as UNGA Resolution 194." He later attributed the quote "the old will die and the young will forget" to former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, to whom he referred as an "old bag," and said that "the young swept Sharon and the Zionists out of Gaza and today, they are doing it again." Imam Salah later stressed that the Palestinians have the right to bear arms "to protect the honor of our women and our land." The sermon was delivered on March 30 and was posted on YouTube a few days later.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6500: Friday Sermon At Gaza 'Return March': Our Blessed Land Is Being Trampled By The Accursed Descendants Of Apes And Pigs
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During a Friday sermon delivered in East Jabalya, Gaza, on March 30, at the venue of the "Return March," the preacher said that the "blessed land" was being "trampled by the accursed descendants of apes and pigs, the remnants of the brutal, savage, and barbaric colonialism." The sermon was broadcast by Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV.
MEMRI TV Clip No. 6499: Gaza Tribal Dignitary On Hamas TV: We Shall Liberate Our Land With Martyrs, Women And Children, Take Down The Border With The Fingernails Of Our Children
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A dignitary from the Al-Sawarka tribe in Gaza declared that "the Palestinian people shall liberate its land with blood, with martyrs, with women, and with children" and that "we shall come and take down that [border] fence with the fingernails of our children." His statements aired on March 29 by the Hamas Al-Aqsa TV channel, which did not provide his name.
