Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri stated that 1,200 members of the terrorist movement's al-Qassam Brigades entered Israel during the assault on Saturday in an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday.
"The military plan of the al-Qassam Brigades was to target the Gaza division of the occupation army, and to fight only the occupation soldiers, and we had information that the occupation was planning to launch an attack on us after the Hebrew holidays," said Arouri.
Arouri claimed that Hamas was able to take over the headquarters of the IDF's Gaza Division in less than three hours, saying that even Hamas was "surprised."
"The occupation knows that its invasion of Gaza will turn the battle into a disaster for its army and its leaders. Our defensive plan is much stronger than the offensive plan, and this is what the occupation realizes."
Hamas leader repeats claims terrorists didn't target civilians
The Hamas leader repeated claims that the movement did not target civilians, accusing Israel of targeting civilians and Israelis as part of a "Hannibal Directive." The Hannibal Directive was a protocol that dictated that terrorists suspected of kidnapping Israelis are targeted even at risk of harming the hostages. In 2016, the IDF canceled the directive.
Hamas has been conducting a campaign on social media in recent days, claiming that it did not target civilians in its assault and that the footage and testimony published by both Israelis and Palestinians are fake. Over 800 of the over 1,200 people killed in Hamas's assault had been confirmed as civilians as of Thursday afternoon.
"When the Israeli Gaza Division collapsed, civilians from Gaza entered and clashed with the settlers, and civilians fell," claimed Arouri. Footage from the area captured on Saturday showed individuals in the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades and of other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip taking part in the massacre and mass kidnapping in southern Israel.
"Hamas cannot harm civilians or prisoners, and we act in accordance with international laws of war and according to the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief of al-Qassam, Abu Khaled al-Deif, not to harm children and women," added Arouri. Many of the civilians being held by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza are women and children.
"The West accuses us of committing crimes against humanity, but it ignores that the war against us was based on targeting civilians, and the Americans talk about morality when they exterminated an entire people, established a state on its land, and struck people with nuclear bombs," added Arouri.