Last week, the Islamic Bloc, Hamas' student wing, won the majority of seats in the students' council of Al Najah University.

In a statement, senior Hamas leader Abdul-Hakim Hanini also condemned the continuous Israeli closure of the Palestinian village of Al-Mugheir in the east of the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Speaking over the phone to participants in the celebrations organised by the bloc yesterday, Haniyeh said the victory carries three important messages including that Hamas is "unbreakable" in the West Bank and in all the homeland, and is capable of confronting the "occupier, oppression and terrorism".

The Islamic Bloc won 40 seats, while Fatah's student arm – the Youth movement – won 38, with three seats going to other parties.

The movement's spokesman, Jihad Taha, stressed the need for a transparent UN probe and for holding "all complicit Israeli occupation leaders accountable," according to a statement that was published on Hamas' official website.

Western diplomatic sources told Rai Al-Youm that the case of prisoners detained on charges linked to Hamas was only one of three items and demands presented to the Saudi authorities by the Hamas leadership delegation, which recently performed Umrah at the end of Ramadan.

In a press release issued to mark International Quds Day, which is observed on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Hamas said: "Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque face continued Israeli violations."

Violence rose across the Palestinian territories after Israeli forces last week forcibly removed worshippers from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

This came a day after Baku opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, after more than 30 years of diplomatic ties.

In a statement, Hamas denounced the continued raids of Al-Aqsa Mosque by "hordes of Israeli colonial settlers, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces."

Meeting comes amid rising tensions in occupied West Bank

The deputy head of the movement's political bureau, Saleh Al-Arouri, confirmed details of the official visit to Moscow. "The leadership of the movement visited Moscow and met [Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov," Al-Arouri is reported as saying. "It was an important visit that highlights the role of the movement with many global actors."

Mahmoud al-Zahar, in an interview with an Iran Press reporter in Gaza, stated that Hamas supports all Arab countries that are fighting against the Zionist regime.

In a statement to Anadolu news agency, Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said: "During the recent talks in Cairo the the Egyptians did not discuss the Aqaba security summit."

This came following the death of Palestinian prisoners Ahmad Abu Ali, 48, from Hebron, as a result of years of medical negligence.

"In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the announcement made by the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs on the normalisation of ties with the Israeli occupation," Hamas denounced in an official statement.

Speaking to Al Ghad TV, member of Hamas Political Bureau, Zaher Jabareen, said: "The Israeli occupation has not responded to several initiatives proposed by several parties."

"This move is a continuation of the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement aimed at expelling the Palestinians and banishing them from their land," said Hamas. "In light of this arbitrary decision which blatantly violates international norms and conventions, the international community and human rights organizations should take ...

In a speech during the parade, Hamas spokesman Mohammad Hamada said the Palestinian group "sticks to armed resistance as a strategic tool to deter the Israeli occupation."

This exhibition, which was inaugurated by a number of Hamas and Al-Qassam leaders, marked Hamas's 35th anniversary.