Far-right Israeli minister vows to remove Arab nationalist's tomb

Israel's far-right national security minister on Thursday vowed to remove the grave of Arab nationalist leader Ezzedine al-Qassam, whose tomb lies in Israel and whose name was given to the armed wing of Hamas.

Itamar Ben Gvir, known for his inflammatory remarks, posted a video on X showing him accompanying security forces as they dismantled a prayer tent next to the grave of the Syrian-born militant.

Al-Qassam, who was killed in a firefight in 1935, fought against the British and Zionism in mandate Palestine before Israel's creation in 1948.

His grave is situated near Haifa in northern Israel and has been vandalized on several occasions over the years.

"The tomb of arch-terrorist Ezzedine al-Qassam in Nesher must be removed. And yesterday at dawn, we took the first step," Ben Gvir wrote on X.

He had already called for the grave's demolition during a parliamentary debate in August.

Right-wing Israeli daily Israel Hayom reported that security forces also took down surveillance cameras around the burial site and removed a person guarding the premises.

When asked by AFP about the incident, Israeli police insisted they had not been involved and referred inquiries to the authority in charge of cemeteries.

In a Hamas statement, senior official Mahmoud Mardawi decried the threat as "an unprecedented level of transgression against sanctity and desecration of holy sites, and a violation of the sanctity of graves".

"Targeting the grave of al-Qassam... is not merely an attack on a grave, but rather an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and remove a testament to our ongoing struggle," the statement added.

"Extremism has become an official, declared policy, requiring international action to curb this barbarity," it said.