Commenting on the detention of Hamas candidate Najeh Asi by Israeli occupation forces after raiding his home in Ramallah, Hamas stated the following:

We condemn the continuous Israeli occupation state-sponsored terrorism against Palestinian citizens and officials, the last of which was the detention of Najeh Asi, Hamas candidate on the election list “Al-Quds is Our Destiny,” by Israeli occupation troops after storming his house in Ramallah.

The cowardly abduction conducted by Israeli occupation special forces reflects the criminal mentality dominating the Israeli occupation and its army in chasing Palestinian citizens over their participation in the Palestinian elections – a civil right guaranteed for all peoples around the world.

We stress that we will not backtrack on the course of elections as the Palestinian people will select their leaders, who will restore national unity and lead the Palestinian freedom struggle, through the ballot box.

We call on international organisations, UN bodies and all countries around the globe to impose a total boycott on the Israeli occupation and its government for practicing organised state-terrorism and attempting to dominate the will of another people through arrest and intimidation campaigns.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas

13 April 2021

1 Ramadan 1442