Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech in Gaza City, Jan. 23, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Mohammed Salem.

i24 News – Israel is to blame for the ongoing deadly crime wave engulfing Israel’s Arab community, Hamas’ chief said Saturday, referring to the Jewish state as “the Zionist occupation.” Israel’s Arab sector is seeing its deadliest year ever with 166 people killed in 2023 so far.

“We regard the Zionist occupation as the responsible party for the blood spilled and the murders running wild inside the lands of 1948,” a statement issued by Ismail Haniyeh’s office read, couched in the habitual language of the terror group.

“The security arms of the Zionist enemy play a dangerous game in trying to embroil our people in another struggle, intended to make them forget their religious and historical ties to the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and in exile,” the statement added.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, there are over two million Arabs in Israel, accounting for some 21 percent of the population.