Israel Unloads Al-Qassam's Grave, Hamas: Efforts To Remove A Nation's Memory

The front of the tomb of Izzudin Al-Qassam. (Wikimedia Commons/Tiamut)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas said the attempt to demolish the tomb of the late Palestinian national leader Izzuddin Al-Qassam was an attempt to erase the memory of a nation, as the right-wing Israeli minister began the first steps in the demolition.

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday began the initial process of dismantling the Al-Qassam tomb. In a video shared on his X account, Ben-Gvir was seen accompanying Israeli troops to demolish a tent to pray next to Al-Qassam's grave.

"The main terrorist grave Izzuddin Al-Qassam in Nester must be removed. And yesterday morning, we took the first step," wrote Ben Gvir on X.

In response, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardi called Ben Gvir's threat an "unprecedented violation of the sino and blasphemy of the holy site, as well as a violation of the opacities of the tomb".

את קברו של הארכי טרוריסט עז א-דין אל-קסאם בנשר צריך להעיף. ואתמול לפנות בוקר עשינו את הצעד הראשון. ברה... pic.twitter.com/mgjSTG7Be4

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) December 11, 2025

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"Targeting the tomb of Al-Qassam is not just an attack on a tomb, but an attempt to erase the memory of a nation and eliminate evidence of our ongoing struggle," he said in a statement, reported Middle East Eye (12/12).

"Extremism has become the official announced policy, which requires international action to curb this barbarity," he said.

It is known that Izzuddin Al-Qassam, who was born in Jableh, Syria in 1881, was a Muslim preacher who throughout his life opposed Western colonial interference in Arab countries, supported resistance to the Italian invasion of Libya and then participated in the battle against French colonial forces in Syria, quoted from The New Arab.

In the early 1920s, he moved with his family to Palestine, where the British government had pledged to support the "national home" for Jews, against the will of the Palestinian people.

In the 1930s, Al-Qassam began organizing resistance groups against British colonial authorities and Jewish settlers in Palestine.

He was later killed after being surrounded by British troops, who blamed his group for the death of a Jewish policeman who worked for the British government.

Al-Qassam is highly respected by Palestinians for his resistance to the British occupation of Palestine, with Hamas naming his military wing by its name.

His tomb is located near Haifa in northern Israel and has been damaged several times over the years.