CAIRO, October 23. /TASS/: Hamas is ready to confront Israeli forces if they launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, said the Palestinian radical group’s spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua.
"[The Palestinian] resistance has unity and strength, as it can control combat operations and has a high level of readiness to resist any ground aggression in Gaza," al-Qanoua said in a statement, posted on Hamas’ Telegram channel.
The Hamas spokesman also warned that, "by destroying Gaza," Israel would not be able to achieve its goals as he expressed confidence that the Palestinians would win.
Earlier, CNN reported that Washington had pressed Israel to delay its ground offensive in Gaza to allow for the release of more hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims that some 222 people have been kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group.
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total siege of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.
