The Hamas movement described the scenes that Israel claimed were the surrender of members of the Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, as “an open and ridiculous theatricality,” stressing that those who appeared in the video clips and pictures circulating are nothing but unarmed civilians.
The Hamas movement confirmed on Sunday that the Israeli occupation showing scenes of unarmed civilians in Gaza, after detaining them and placing weapons next to them, is an act of an open and ridiculous theatrical act.
This came in response to video clips and photos published by Israeli accounts and pages yesterday, Saturday, on social networking sites, which they said showed Hamas fighters surrendering themselves and their weapons to the Israeli army forces penetrating into the Gaza Strip.
In turn, a member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said in a statement, “Al-Qassam heroes do not surrender, and the occupation’s lies do not deceive anyone.”
He continued: "The Zionist terrorist occupation's display of pictures and scenes of defenseless civilians in Gaza, after detaining them and placing weapons next to them, is nothing but one of the chapters of an open and ridiculous theatrical play, which the occupation has always fabricated in order to manufacture an alleged victory over the men of the resistance."
Al-Rishq added, “The Zionist enemy has learned of the resistance men in the field, who come out from where it is not expected, and reinforce its soldiers and officers every day, confront its incursions into all combat axes, and continue to bomb its settlements.”
Amazement at the strength and armament of Hamas
Israeli military analyst Yoav Zeitoun said on Sunday that their army “realizes that the destruction of Hamas in the Gaza Strip will not be accomplished within a few months, given its preparations over the past years,” stressing that the army is “astonished” by the movement’s strength and armament.
In an analysis published by the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Zeitoun spoke of an implicit American deadline for Israel to end the war “at the end of this December, or until the end of next January, if things go well, without a shocking event occurring.” "Stops the momentum."
Zeitoun continued: “On the ground, the army is amazed every day by how strong Hamas is. It is a real army that was established 50 minutes from Tel Aviv over the past years.”
Shedding light on Hamas' capabilities in confronting the Israeli army, Zaytoun said, "They have hundreds of thousands of weapons, including RPG shells of various types, which are considered their main weapon."
He added: "They also have advanced rocket launchers, explosive drones, and attack drones that were produced as a copy of the Israeli army's Sky Rider drone, which fell in the Gaza Strip in the past decade."
According to Zaitoun, Hamas fighters also have machine guns, Kalashnikov rifles, Dragunov sniper rifles, advanced communications devices, explosive devices of different standards and sizes (...) and endless amounts of weapons and military capabilities.
Regarding the incursion into the northern Gaza Strip, Zaitoun said, “The fierce battles in Beit Hanoun could indicate that clearing Gaza of the enemy will take many months, and this is not a place for the strongest Hamas forces.”
Regarding Shujaiya, east of Gaza City, Zaytoun quoted a senior officer in the elite Golani Brigade as saying, “Hamas has placed its strongest battalion there. The militants who were born and raised in the neighborhood are linked to it and will not flee and from a practical standpoint, we will need about 6 months to completely cleanse Shujaiya,” he said.
In response to "daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities," on October 7, the Hamas movement launched the "Al-Aqsa Flood" attack against Israeli settlements and military bases around Gaza.
Since last October 7, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving 17,487 martyrs and 46,480 wounded, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure, and an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to official Palestinian and UN sources.