Hamas has Israeli prisoners, next battle in Askalan

The Qassam commander said: “I am telling you now, based on real information, the next ground battle with the Israeli occupation will be in Askalan”

Days of Palestine, Gaza Strip –Senior Hamas military official confirmed on Sunday his military wing Al-Qassam Brigades has Israeli prisoners.

He also said that the next ground battle with the Israeli occupation would not be in the Gaza Strip, but in Askalan. He meant the Palestinian occupied city that the Israeli occupation calls: Ashkelon.

The military official, whose nickname is Abu-Imad, told a crowd of Hamas supporters in Gaza that “there are good news about the Israeli soldiers captured by his military wind during the 51-day of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.”

He did not clearly say how many Israeli soldiers his Brigades keeps, but he hinted that there are a more than one. He also hinted that they are alive.

“I confirm the good news about the Israeli prisoners, but cannot say what this good news is,” he said. But he stressed that the Israeli occupation would be obliged to release the Palestinian prisoners in return of the release of its soldiers.

In another clear hint that at least one of them is alive, he said: “Regarding Golden [Israeli officer Hadar Golden who was believed captured in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip], there is a good news and, like what happened with Gilad Shalit, releasing information about his life would has a price.”

Next battle in Askalan

Abu-Imad, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2005, said that the next ground battle with the Israeli occupation would be in Askala. “Whether it started tomorrow or five years later,” he said.

Reminding with a previous remark for the senior Hamas political leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, he said: “When Al-Zahar has previously said that the next time, we would invade the lands occupied by the Israeli occupation, he based on real information.”

He continued: “I am telling you now, based on real information, the next ground battle with the Israeli occupation will be in Askalan.”

The senior Qassam commander said that “the Israeli occupation asked us, through mediators, three times that they preferred to resolve issues peacefully, but we insisted to respond by hitting Tel-Aviv.”

To tell the truth, he said, when we said we did not show all our surprises in the last war, we said the truth. “We still have many surprises and this will be proved in the next battle, which is coming sooner or later,” he said.

(Source / 29.09.2014)