Hamas military wing says it's ready for next round of fighting with Israel
Masked members of the Hamas military wing in Gaza gave Al Jazeera an exclusive look at how they are preparing for a new round of warfare.
By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUAHamas's Kassam Brigades 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah)
As representatives of Israel and the Palestinian factions remain engaged in Egyptian- mediated cease-fire discussions in Cairo, operatives of Izzadin Kassam gave Al Jazeera a glimpse of the tunnels and rocket-launchers that they are concealing in concrete bunkers.The terrorist group displayed some of its arsenal of rockets, mortars and antitank missiles.The Al Jazeera clip, whose English translation is courtesy of the Middle East Media Research Institute, shows Hamas snipers in camouflage who are positioned to shoot.“We are here on the border with Israel, ready for anything,” one of the operatives told the Al Jazeera correspondent on Wednesday, Tamer al-Mashal. “Our people are looking out for us.”A field commander is quoted by the network as saying that Hamas operatives did not abandon their posts in fighting with Israel. They are remaining in their positions during the cease-fire.“We are currently in Rifle Pit 120 in the Kuza area, because we don’t believe the Jews and their machinations,” said the commander. “From this post, we fired at a number of settlements, including Eshkol, and we also fired at the enemy’s concentration of forces in the Kuza area.”“The Zionist enemy must remember July 28, 4:25 in the afternoon, when we fired five mortars at the Eshkol settlement, resulting in dozens of dead and wounded. The enemy must remember this black day very well.”The commander added that in the event the Palestinian factions come away dissatisfied with the terms of the cease-fire, they are ready to resume the launching of rockets.“Our missiles are aimed at Israeli tanks and vehicles in their current positions,” an operative with the brigades’ armored division told Al Jazeera from his post in an underground camouflaged bunker. “In this border region, we blew up more than one tank. The enemy will attest to this fact.”
The operative said that his men have not received an order from the Hamas high command to retreat from their posts.“We are on the fullest alert until the cruel enemy agrees to the terms of the resistance, whether he likes it or not,” he said.Another Hamas gunman was seen emerging from one of the organization’s tunnels and standing near a mortar launcher.“We say to the enemy who is living in the delusion that he achieved his aims: You are seeing the means available to the resistance, and you see that we are still here on the border, with all of our means, ready to stand with them in this campaign until we attain all of the terms of the resistance,” he said.The Al Jazeera reporter was filmed walking around the tunnel that Hamas says is still operational despite the best efforts of the IDF to eradicate the underground walkways.“The resistance is ready,” the correspondent said.At the end of the news item, Al Jazeera showed what the Palestinians claim to be a tunnel that runs along the border with Israel and is still functional.“This is a tunnel that the Kassam Brigades say is ready for action on the border with Israel,” the reporter said. “The operatives also say that they have a few more surprises up their sleeve in the event that hostilities resume.”
