Palestinian ‘Right of Return’ is no empty slogan: Hamas

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian “Right of Return” is more than just an empty slogan, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh asserted on Friday.

“The ‘right of return’ isn’t just a mere slogan to be repeated ad nauseam,” Haniyeh declared on the sidelines of ongoing mass rallies near the Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel.

“Rather,” he added, “we’re working to make it a reality.”

Tens of thousands of Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip converged on the border on Friday to reaffirm their right to return to their homes in historical Palestine.

“There is no solution to the Palestinian national cause except a return to our land occupied in 1948,” Haniyeh asserted.

Friday’s mass demonstrations are also intended to pressure Israel to lift its decade-long blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Despite the peaceful nature of Friday’s rally, at least 11 Palestinian protesters have been killed so far by Israeli troops deployed along the border.