BEIRUT — A senior Hamas official on Monday stated solely a small variety of high commanders inside Gaza knew in regards to the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel, however that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah “will be a part of the battle if Gaza is subjected to a struggle of annihilation.”
Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas’ exiled management, spoke to The Related Press in his Beirut workplace as Israel bombarded Gaza and vowed a complete blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory.
The shock assault on Saturday caught Israel’s vaunted navy and intelligence providers fully off guard, as tons of of Hamas gunmen poured by way of holes blown within the border fence and rampaged by way of a number of cities, killing tons of of troopers and civilians, and capturing scores of others.
Barakeh stated the assault was deliberate by round a half dozen high Hamas commanders in Gaza and that even the group’s closest allies weren’t knowledgeable prematurely in regards to the timing. He denied experiences that Iranian safety officers helped plan the assault or gave the go-ahead at a gathering final week in Beirut.
“Solely a handful of Hamas commanders knew in regards to the zero hour,” Barakeh stated, including that nobody from the central command or the political bureau of Hamas was within the Lebanese capital final week.
He acknowledged that Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have helped Hamas previously, however stated that because the 2014 Gaza struggle Hamas has been producing its personal rockets and coaching its personal fighters.
He additionally denied hypothesis that the assault, which had been deliberate for greater than a 12 months, was geared toward derailing U.S. efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel.
As a substitute, he stated it was pushed by a spread of actions taken by Israel’s far-right authorities over the previous 12 months, together with provocative visits to a flashpoint Jerusalem holy website and elevated strain on Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. He additionally stated Hamas believed Israel had plans to kill its high leaders.
He stated even Hamas was shocked by the extent of the operation, dubbed “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” saying it had anticipated Israel to forestall or restrict the assault.
“We have been stunned by this nice collapse,” Barakeh stated. “We have been planning to make some good points and take prisoners to trade them. This military was a paper tiger.”
His declare that Hamas has solely deliberate a small operation is belied by the truth that an estimated 1,000 fighters took half within the incursion, attacking by land, sea and even motorized paragliders.
Israel has declared all-out struggle and vowed to punish Hamas like by no means earlier than, and the mobilization of 300,000 Israeli reserves has raised the prospect of a floor invasion or perhaps a reoccupation of Gaza. The Israeli navy says it has already killed tons of of militants and bombed quite a few Hamas targets.
Barakeh stated Hamas has thus far employed solely a small variety of its personal forces. He stated almost 2,000 Hamas fighters have taken half within the newest combating, out of a military of 40,000 in Gaza alone.
Hamas can also be capable of rely on its allies if it faces a serious setback. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired a number of rockets and shells at three Israeli positions in a disputed space. On Monday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group claimed it despatched 4 gunmen throughout Lebanon’s border into Israel.
The militants stated they’d wounded seven Israeli troopers. Israel stated its personal forces shot and killed a number of gunmen who crossed into the nation from Lebanon. It additionally shelled southern Lebanon in response.
Barakeh, who was Hamas’ consultant in Lebanon for years and is now accountable for coordinating with different Palestinian factions, stated his group will use the scores of Israelis it captured within the raid to safe the discharge of all Arabs detained in Israeli jails and even some Palestinians imprisoned in the USA on costs of funding Hamas.
“There are Palestinians held in America. We’ll ask for his or her launch,” he stated, with out specifying who he was referring to.
In 2009, a court docket in Dallas sentenced two founding members of the Holy Land Basis for Aid and Growth, as soon as the most important U.S. Muslim charity, to 65 years in jail for funneling tens of millions of {dollars} to Hamas. Three different males have been sentenced to jail phrases starting from 15 to twenty years for conspiracy.
Barakeh stated Hamas is able to combat an extended struggle with Israel, saying it has an arsenal of rockets that may final a very long time.
“Now we have ready properly for this struggle and to take care of all situations, even the situation of the lengthy struggle,” he added. “We’ll convey life to a cease within the Zionist entity if the aggression doesn’t cease on Gaza.”