Israel’s threat of a ground invasion on the blockaded Gaza Strip “does not scare us”, said the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday. As the war between Israel and Hamas entered its tenth day on Tuesday after the militant group launched surprise attacks on Israel, the military wing of Hamas said it was ready for the ground assault.
The threat of a ground offensive by Israel "doesn't scare us and we are ready for it", Abu Obeideh, the spokesman of Hamas's military wing, said Monday, according to AFP.
In a televised statement, he said Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were holding 200 people captive since a massive onslaught on Israel's south on October 7, with about 50 others held by other "resistance factions and in other places".
"The threat of the occupation (Israel) to launch a ground offensive against our people doesn't scare us and we are ready for it," Abu Obeideh said.
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The Hamas leadership claimed that it has what it takes to free all the Palestinians prisoners in Israel's jail and hinted that it might use Israeli hostages as bargaining chips for the release of Palestinian prisoners, Reuters reported.
Hamas official Khaled Meshaal who made the statement also said that the non-Israelis kidnapped by the group were "guests" who would be released "when circumstances allow".
Amid the escalations, Hamas has also threatened Israel with executing hostages.
Earlier on Monday, Israel Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that Tel Aviv had been able to confirm and notify the relatives of 199 people held captives in Gaza.
The non-Israeli hostages taken by Hamas are believed to be nationals of countries including Thailand and Germany. The hostages also include Israelis with dual citizenship in countries including the US.
In a video message, Obeida said that Hamas has "a group of detainees of different nationalities, these are our guests and we seek to protect them."