Marching into tension: All eyes on Jerusalem.
Israel Gears Up for Jerusalem Flag Parade as Hamas Stokes Tensions Online
Israeli security is tightening ahead of tomorrow’s Jerusalem Flag Parade after a wave of Hamas-linked online incitement urging resistance.



Israeli security forces are on high alert as they prepare for tomorrow's Jerusalem Flag Parade, facing a surge of inflammatory rhetoric on Arabic social media linked to Hamas. Slogans like “The parade must not pass, go out and resist” and cryptic warnings such as “It will be interesting to see what happens this year” have proliferated online, urging Arabs in Israel to “ascend to Al-Aqsa” and oppose the annual march commemorating Jerusalem’s reunification.
Police have pinpointed Hamas-affiliated channels as the primary source of the incitement, with Israeli platforms largely amplifying this content rather than generating it.
Haroun Nasser Al-Din, a Hamas political bureau member overseeing Jerusalem affairs, issued a statement Saturday night calling for Muslims worldwide to “confront this growing aggressiveness and deliberate Jewish plans with all means.” He urged sustained presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling it a “religious, historical, and moral responsibility.”
Chief Superintendent Isaac Simon, head of the Jerusalem District Police Investigations Department, told i24NEWS: “We’re seeing online posters pushing for action at the Temple Mount, mostly from Hamas-linked channels. There’s minimal spread on Israeli platforms, just echoes in small groups. While we haven’t detected explicit calls for terror, phrases like ‘Protect Al-Aqsa’ or ‘Watch the Jewish worshippers’ are circulating. We’ve ramped up our cyber monitoring to catch and block this content in real time.”
The Jerusalem Flag Parade, held annually on the 28th of Iyar to mark Jerusalem Day, is expected to draw tens of thousands this year, with organizers referring to it as a celebration of “victory over Hamas.”
Past parades have been marred by violence, including clashes in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where marchers have hurled sticks, stones, and bottles at journalists and residents. Police interventions, often involving undercover units and Border Police, have previously been needed to quell riots.
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