Israeli army “a paper tiger”?: Hamas itself is surprised by the success of the Israeli attack

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Hamas is prepared to fight a long war with Israel and will use the dozens of hostages held in Gaza to secure the release of Palestinians held in Israel and abroad, a senior member of the militant group said. Speaking to the Associated Press news agency, Ali Barakeh, a member of the group’s exiled leadership in Beirut, said Hamas has a rocket arsenal that will last a long time.

“We have prepared well for this war and are prepared for all scenarios, including the scenario of a long war,” he said, adding that Hamas would use hostages to secure the release of captured Palestinians. Barakeh said only a small number of senior commanders in the Gaza Strip were aware of Israel’s invasion on Saturday and that even the group’s closest allies had not been informed of the timing in advance. He denied reports that Iranian security officials helped plan the attack.

However, he added that allies such as Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the fight if Gaza is subjected to a war of extermination.” He said even Hamas was shocked by the scale of the operation and expected Israel to prevent or limit the attack. “We were surprised by this major collapse,” Barakeh said. ‘We planned to make a profit and take prisoners to exchange them. This army was a paper tiger.” (no)

Source: Blick