Hamas has declared it will turn Palestinian tragedy into 'joy' should the Israeli Defence Forces launch a ground assault of Gaza in a sinister message delivered today.
Deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri said that 'despite the enemy's crimes... the resistance is well', adding that Hamas and other Islamist groups 'will turn your tragedies into joy, in the event of a ground invasion' in a statement to Palestinians, suggesting Hamas fighters would inflict huge losses on the IDF.
Al-Arouri declared Hamas was preparing for war, telling Hezbollah-controlled al-Manar TV that 'the battles have not begun yet' ahead of the much-anticipated IDF assault.
He also confirmed that Hamas and the leaders of Hezbollah have been in close contact over preparations for the impending Israeli invasion.
'Our battle is also Hezbollah's battle,' he said. 'If the enemy enters by land, it will be an unprecedented defeat [for Israel].'
Al-Arouri's warning came as Israeli tanks rolled into northern Gaza overnight in the biggest incursion of the war so far to carry out 'targeted raids' on 'terrorist cells' ahead of a full-scale ground invasion.
The military said ground forces led by the Givati infantry brigade and the 162nd Armored Division attacked multiple targets in the Hamas-ruled enclave in the early hours of Thursday before withdrawing, while warplanes struck more than 250 targets across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the operation lasted a few hours and that no Israeli casualties were sustained.
The UN said the number of Israeli strikes meant that 'nowhere in Gaza is safe'.
Israel's battle-hardened prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night warned Hamas terrorists in a televised statement that they were 'doomed' as he vowed to push ahead with a ground invasion.
'We are raining hellfire on Hamas. We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning. Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many,' Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, in a retort to al-Arouri's message, former Israeli defence minister and member of Israel's war carbinet Benny Gantz said that any possible ground offensive would be only 'one stage in a long-term process that includes security, political and social aspects that will take years'.
'The campaign will soon ramp up with greater force. We will not be the ones at risk of being wiped out. That will be the fate of those who seek to do us ill,' he said.
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