FILE PHOTO: A girl wearing a protective face mask and the headband of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) looks on during a rally to show solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Maher Al-Akhras, who is held by Israel, in Gaza City October 12, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

i24 News – Several hours before Israel shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, several Palestinian terrorist groups announced their intention to escalate the conflict. A joint statement on Sunday by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the groups will step up the coordination in an effort to exact a higher price from the Jewish state.

The decision to to “deal with Israel’s aggression” was made at a meeting in Beirut attended by senior terror operatives including the head of the Hamas politburo Salah al-Aruri; Islamic Jihad’s deputy general secretary Ziad al-Nakhla; and the PFLP’s deputy secretary general Jamil Mazhar.

The statement likewise condemned the ongoing normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, calling it “a clear betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the Arab people” on behalf of Riyadh.

The statement comes amid heightened security tensions in the Palestinian territories, including near-daily riots on the Gaza border fence and a steady stream of intelligence reports regarding planned terrorist attacks against Israelis.

Later on Sunday, Israel Defense Forces announced it decided to beef up the security in areas adjacent to the Gaza border, deploying an additional battalion to the area.