Senior Hamas leader calls for 'slaughter' of 'every Jew on the globe'

A top Hamas official went on a tirade Friday, calling for his Palestinian brethren across the world to "attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing."

What are the details?

During a rally at the Israel-Gaza border, senior Hamas leader Fathi Hammad told followers:

Our patience has run out. We are on the verge of exploding. If this siege is not undone, we will explode in the face of our enemies, with God's permission and glory. The explosion is not only going to be in Gaza, but also in the [West] Bank and abroad, if God wills.

But our brothers are still preparing. They are trying to prepare. They are warming up. A long time has passed with them warming up. All of you 7 million Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. You have Jews everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of slaughter and killing, if God permits. Enough of the warming up.

Hammad's speech came after the death of a 28-year-old Hamas member, who was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers after reportedly being "misidentified." The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel later apologized for the incident.

How did Hamas respond?

The official's remarks evidently went too far even for his own Islamic militant group, which is considered by the U.S. and the European Union to be a terrorist organization.

The group condemned Hammad's comments with an official statement Monday, and another Hamas official called the leader's remarks "personal statements that do not represent Hamas," the Washington Examiner reported.

The Times of Israel reported that Hammad attempted to walk back his comments, issuing his own statement on the group's website clarifying that he supports "Hamas's consistent, adopted policy of limiting its resistance to the Zionist occupation that usurps Palestine's land and defiles its holy sites."

He added, "Our resistance to this usurping entity will continue in all its forms whether that is armed or popular peaceful struggle."