Hamas gunman (archives)
Photo: AP
You'll return from Gaza in a coffin, Hamas warns Israel
'Surprises' Hizbullah prepared for IDF are nothing compared to those waiting for army in Strip, Palestinian organizations say
Any Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip will be met with a harsh response on the part of the Palestinian organizations, a Hamas
spokesperson said Tuesday.
"The Israelis will suffer heavy losses if they launch a wide-scale offensive," the Hamas spokesperson added.
While the government and the defense establishment are discussing an escalation in the Israeli response to the Qassam rockets fired from Gaza, Hamas is threatening to launch a tough war against the IDF, if it invades the Strip.
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The other organizations also threatened Israel with a painful response. A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees made it clear that an Israeli operation in the Strip "will not be a field trip."
The spokesman, Abu Abir, told Ynet that IDF soldiers will return to their families "tidy, but in coffins."
The Palestinian website al-Madar reported Tuesday afternoon that Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, promised to prepare "surprises" for the Israelis if they launch a ground operation in Gaza.
"These surprises will be much bigger than those Hizbullah prepared for Israel," he was quoted as saying. "We shall not have mercy on the tanks and on the soldiers. They will all be in the range of fire."
He promised to greet the Israeli planes with "new weapons."
Abu Ubaida also warned, according to the website, that an Israeli operation may lead to the execution of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. However, Hamas later denied this report.
