A group of masked Israeli occupation settlers standing in front of a mosque in Urif while one person in the group rips pages from the Holy Quran in West Bank, on Thursday, June 23, 2023 (CCTV footage screengrab)

Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas condemned on Friday the desecration of a mosque in Urif village in the occupied West Bank by Israeli occupation settlers, and the tearing and burning of the Holy Quran.

"What happened was a heinous crime and a dangerous escalation of the religious war waged by Zionist institutions," the movement said, stressing that this brutish behavior "supported by the [Israeli] army and the government, constitutes a provocation to the feelings of all our people and our nation, and an unprecedented disregard for its sanctities."

Hamas also stressed in a statement that "the desecration of mosques by flocks of settlers and the burning of the Quran in the West Bank is a reprehensible racist behavior, which requires a clear stance from the official and prominent figures of the Islamic nation and religious institutions."

On Wednesday, a group of Israeli occupation settlers broke into a mosque in the occupied West Bank and ripped pages from the Holy Quran before throwing it into the street, CCTV footage revealed.

An Israeli settler, accompanied by a dog, desecrated the Muslim Holy book in front of a mosque in the Palestinian village of Urif south of Nablus, while a group of masked were on the watchout.

The same men later broke into a school in the village and set fire to a number of its classrooms before attempting to burn down Palestinian homes and mosques.

The Israeli occupation government and its settlers are "fully responsible for the repercussions of the rabid religious war," Hamas said, noting that the Israeli occupation will pay the price for this crime and aggression against the Palestinian nation and its sanctities.

المشهد المشين الصعب في قرية عوريف جنوب نابلس
من طغيان المستوطنين وسطوتهم ونجاستهم لا يمكن تخطّيها بسهولة
لا يمكن تخطيها بتاتاً
المشهد قاهر
ما هذه الحرقة ياالله !!!#القرآن_يدنس pic.twitter.com/SHXOkmKdQK
— آية أبوطاقية #فلسطين (@aya_taqiya) June 22, 2023

Resistance flames

In turn, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement PIJ also held the Israeli occupation "fully responsible for the dangerous consequences of the sinful Zionist attack that targeted mosques, and the burning and tearing of the Holy Quran."

The movement warned that "this dangerous criminal escalation reflects the enemy's insane desire to ignite a religious war, targeting the pillars of our faith and religion, which cannot be tolerated or ignored."

The Resistance "will have its say, and will not delay in deterring the occupation from its crimes and violations," PIJ confirmed, stressing that "violating sacred sanctities is an extension of the aggression against our people," and will increase the determination and blaze of the Resistance.

"This frenzied war targeting our sanctities and our Arab and Palestinian identity will not discourage our people who believe in their faith and right, nor will it undermine their steadfastness and determination."

Essence of terrorism

In Egypt, the Ministry of Religious Endowments condemned "the settlers' attack on the Urif mosques in the city of Nablus," and the tearing and burning of the Holy Quran in it, "is the essence of terrorism, extremism, and racism."

On its part, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli settler attacks, while a spokesperson for the Turkish Justice and Development Party considered that the attack targets "all humanity," calling on the occupation to "stop these actions."

Regional religious war

Palestinian Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Hatem al-Bakri warned of the increased Israeli attacks on mosques across the West Bank.

In a statement on Thursday, he condemned the Quran desecration in Urif. “This is an outrageous and unacceptable act. It forms part of the methodology and ideology of the right-wing Israeli administration by allowing radical gangs to carry out attacks and practice their heinous acts, which are rejected by all religions,” he said.

The attack on al-Ribat Mosque in Urif was the second one this week, he noted. “We must assume full responsibility and stop these gangs from attacking our mosques and sanctities,” Bakri stressed, calling on the Palestinian people to defend the Muslim holy sites and demanding that international institutions assume their duties regarding the Israeli attacks.

The ongoing events could push the region into a "religious war with unimaginable consequences," he warned.