Hamas vows to turn Gaza into a graveyard for Israeli military

GAZA, Palestine (AFP) - Hamas's armed wing said Gaza would be a graveyard and a quagmire for the enemy, its soldiers and its political and military leadership.

Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address that they would release in the coming days some of the foreign hostages in its captivity, as it vowed to turn Gaza into a graveyard for Israel's military. "We have informed intermediaries that we will release a certain number of foreigners in the next few days."

He said that they would live up to the expectations of our people until the end of this battle. "You, the people of Palestine, have the right to hold your heads high as you challenge the world's greatest power. The world is bewildered by the greatness and the secret of the strength of the people of Gaza, You are blessed with the promise of your Lord and the covenant of your Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)."

He said that recently the Zionist enemy began ground maneuvers across multiple fronts. "The first front is in northwest Gaza, the second front is from the eastern center of the Gaza Strip to its southeast. The enemy forces are also present around the Beit Hanoun crossing and the vicinity of Beit Hanoun.

"The criminal enemy approached these fronts after more than 20 days of bombardment using all types of weapons, attempting to displace our people and causing significant destruction, presumably to restore the image of their defeated army that we shattered on October 7.

"Since the ground forces of the Zionist regime reached our defense lines and contact areas, our forces began and continue to strategically defend against the enemy's planned attacks on all fronts.

"Our fighters are and have been engaged in fierce confrontations and direct clashes, and despite the enemy's advancement, our fighters managed to engage with the enemy forces and destroy 22 Zionist vehicles so far by using the highly-penetrating Al-Yassin 105 shells and our devastating explosive guerilla bombs that have been deployed in this battle."

Abu Obeida said that their fighters are attacking the enemy by using various types of explosives and missiles, and they are executing infiltration operations from behind enemy lines in gathering and areas of advancement, managing to kill many Zionist soldiers.

"While continuing to strike deep into the enemy territory with rockets of various ranges, we continue to bombard their ground forces with mortar shells and short-range missile barrages.

"Our naval forces managed to direct multiple attacks on several naval targets, using the 'Al-Asif' torpedo, which, as it is revealed, this torpedo has entered service during this battle.

"Our defensive operations are ongoing and are still at their beginning. By God's grace and strength, we have a lot more in store. As we promised to the enemy, Gaza will be their graveyard and a nightmare for their soldiers."

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman said they give Netanyahu the good news of the end of his political future.

"God willing, this will be the beginning of the end for this usurping entity. We salute the fighters of our nation and once again, we call upon every honorable individual in this nation to seize the opportunity to defend the honour of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"We deny any news that the enemy has rescued any of the prisoners held by the Al-Qassam Brigades. If such claims arise, they may pertain to independent parties who hold enemy prisoners. We previously mentioned at the beginning of the battle and said that some detainees are held by individuals from our people.

"In this way, if a helpless and defeated Netanyahu celebrates the release of an Israeli prisoner after a month of battle, then he must have to wait another two years to celebrate the release of another prisoner.

"Some countries intervened through mediators for the release of captives of certain foreign nationalities. We informed the mediators that we would release a number of foreigners in the coming days, in line with our previously announced intention that we do not want to keep them or continue detaining them in Gaza."

Around 240 hostages are believed to be held by Hamas at the moment in Gaza, after the militant group attacked communities across southern Israel on October 7, triggering a fierce bombing campaign and ground incursion of the territory by the Israeli military.

Five hostages have been released to date, including four after negotiations through a diplomatic backchannel and one following an operation by the Israeli army.