"HAMAS GROUND OPERATIONS SHOCKED ISRAEL"

Gaza, 23 Ramadhan 1435/21 July 2014 (MINA) – The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement said on Saturday evening that moving the ground operation into Israeli territory is “a critical development” in the conflict.

A spokesperson for Hamas, Fawzy Barhoum, said in a brief statement quoted by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency that this tactic has shocked the Israeli enemy. “Israel has had to abort its plans,” he claimed. “We have confused its calculations,” Fawzy said as quoted by MEMO.

The military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, also announced on Saturday evening the killing of 11 Israeli soldiers in two operations inside Israel. One Al-Qassam fighter was killed during one of the operations.

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Israel has not responded to Hamas’s claim. However, it did announce the death of two soldiers, including one senior officer.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s strategic military expert General Safwat El-Zayat said the Israeli occupation army’s decision to initiate the ground operation is clear evidence of its failure to suppress the Palestinian resistance through the aerial operation waged against the enclave for nearly two weeks.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, El-Zayat pointed out that the Israeli occupation army is trying to create a safe area on the outskirts of Gaza because it is afraid of the anti-tank missiles system possessed by the Palestinian resistance. (T/P01/P04).

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)