Hamas says ‘not afraid’ of Israeli ground troops’ deployment

A Hamas leader has told Al Jazeera that the group is prepared for any potential deployment of Israeli troops inside Gaza amid strong indications that Israel is preparing a ground offensive into the besieged enclave in response to Saturday’s attack.
“We are not afraid. We are a strong people. We have a strong determination to continue. We have a lot of fighters and a lot of people who want to support us,” said Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas political bureau.
“Even people in the borders of Jordan, Lebanon and everywhere, they want to come here and fight for us. Gaza is not a garden and it will be very costly for them,” Hamad warned.
“Since the beginning of this operation we sent 1,200 fighters who succeeded in destroying the image of Israel, the security of Israel, the intelligence of Israel, and the image that Israel is a superpower,” he said.
Hamas denied claims its fighters targeted civilians during Saturday’s attack in Israel that left hundreds dead.
“Give us one picture that Hamas killed civilians, that Hamas killed children, that Hamas killed women. We don’t kill civilians,” Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera.
On Wednesday, the White House was also forced to backtrack on a claim by US President Joe Biden that he has seen pictures of Hamas fighters beheading children in southern Israel.