MEMRI: April 13, 2015 Special Dispatch No.6020
Hamas Prepares For Next Military Confrontation With Israel
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8516.htm

Since the last military conflict in Gaza, in July-August 2014, Hamas has
been working to restore and build up its strength in advance of the next
conflict with Israel – renewing its excavation of tunnels and manufacture of
rockets, building up its weapons stores , conducting military training
exercises, and establishing army camps. Senior movement officials are
calling repeatedly for liberating all of Palestine, praising and encouraging
jihad, martyrdom, and armed resistance, and threatening to expand their
attacks into a full-blown intifada in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some
Hamas officials have called for opening additional fronts against Israel.

Underlining this, Abu 'Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas's 'Izz Al-Din
Al-Qassam Brigades, said at a ceremony honoring the Rafah martyrs: "The
battle is not yet over... The arrogance of the occupation will force upon it
new wars, whose shape and character it cannot foresee... Every day, our
people are capable of refreshing the [flow of the] blood in the arteries of
the resistance, in numerous ways."[1]

In a speech marking the 27th anniversary of Hamas' founding, former Hamas
interior minister Fathi Hammad said: "Thousands have joined the Al-Qassam
Brigades since the last Gaza war... The West Bank will [also] rise up [in an
intifada] against the occupation, and the resistance in Jerusalem must be
escalated."[2] It should be noted that at the same time, Hamas leaders are
saying that they are not interested in an escalation in Gaza.

Ongoing Rearmament: "The Al-Qassam Factories Are Operating Night And Day''

While Hamas is taking care not to slide into a military escalation against
Israel at this time, senior Hamas officials are reiterating the need for
ongoing weapons development, and are even boasting that their factories are
doing so without letup. At a meeting with public figures in Khan Younis,
Hamas political bureau member Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said: "The Palestinians must
develop their weaponry so they can strike every inch of Palestine. This is
our mission, and if we fail to carry it out, we will be betraying you
[Palestinians]."[3]

At a closing ceremony for youth training camps, Al-Zahhar said: "Every year
until Palestine is liberated, thousands will join the training camps..." He
added: "These youths will be standing behind the rockets, firing them at
every inch of Palestine in the war of Judgment Day – the war for the
liberation of Palestine. We pledge not to withhold anything from you – not
our weapons, not our money, not our efforts, and not our sweat. Generation
by generation... whenever there is a school holiday, you will be on the
military training grounds, until we accomplish our goal."[4]

In a similar vein, Hamas political bureau deputy head Isma'il Haniya said in
a Friday sermon: "Hamas will continue to gradually build up its weapons, its
means of resistance, and its strength, and will maintain them until
Palestine is fully liberated."[5]

Also, former Hamas interior minister Fathi Hammad said: "The resistance is
planning and preparing, and will continue the jihad always, in preparation
for the next liberation battle... Our hands are on the trigger and the 'Izz
Al-Din Al-Qassam factories are operating night and day. The day will come
and Israel will pay a high price."[6]

At a conference at Al-Rabat College, Marwan 'Issa, the deputy to 'Izz Al-Din
Al-Qassam brigades commander Muhammad Deif, further confirmed that rocket
manufacture was continuing: "We do not want a conflict with the Israeli
occupation at this time, but we are working to double our strength for any
eventual conflict that may come. We are continuing to manufacture rockets,
and the enemy's statements on this matter do not interest us... We are
allying with anyone who can provide us with weapons."[7]

Re-Launching Tunnel Excavations

Hamas has not suspended its excavation of attack tunnels. As early as
September 2014, mere weeks after the last round of fighting ended, Al-Zahhar
declared, "Hamas has begun rebuilding and [further] developing the
tunnels."[8] On October 19, 2014, the Hamas mouthpiece Al-Risalah reported
on the renewal of work on one of Gaza's attack tunnels in Gaza, citing the
commander of a squad specializing in tunnel digging. According to the
report, Al-Qassam members are secretly digging around the clock, dozens of
meters underground; some tunnels are strategic attack tunnels for killing
and kidnapping soldiers and carrying out "quality" attacks in Israel, and
others are defensive tactical tunnels for concealing rocket launchers and
mortars from Israeli aircraft. The report added that the tunnel viewed by
the reporter had been rebuilt during one of the humanitarian truces declared
during the actual fighting, and that the Al-Qassam members who were
conducting the excavations knew that the work was dangerous but said that
they were prepared for martyrdom for the sake of Allah, the religion, and
Palestine.[9]

As for the impact of the restrictions on bringing cement into Gaza, an
Al-Qassam Brigades member said that Hamas would overcome the shortage by
using brick instead.[10]

Military Training For Youth

In further preparations for the next conflict, on January 20-27, 2015 in the
Gaza Strip, the Al-Qassam Brigades conducted military training for some
17,000 young people, ages 15-21, at dozens of "Talai' Al-Tahrir" (Pioneers
of Liberation) camps. According to the Hamas-affiliated Palinfo.com, so many
signed up for the training camps that the Al-Qassam Brigades ran two
sessions per day, one in the morning and one in the evening.[11]

The Al-Qassam Brigades advertised the camps in mosques and public places,
and on its official website. Registration was conducted at stands on Gaza's
main streets; the stands, which had signs reading "The Nucleus Of The Next
Liberation Army," were manned by masked fighters.

An Al-Qassam Brigades commander said that the brigades were recruiting as
many teens as possible so they could acquire military skills, train with
live ammunition, and practice civil defense and first aid. He added, "The
Al-Qassam Brigades are working to prepare a thousands-strong liberation
army, based on an Islamic education."[12]

Training With Live Ammunition

during the training. According to the Arab news website noonpost.net, the
effort is aimed at forming the core of a popular army comprising members
from all sectors of society, and at preparing the teens both ideologically
and militarily for jihad and for the fight against Israel. Youths who
participated in the camps stated that they had come to learn how to kidnap
Israeli soldiers and liberate Jerusalem.

Youths participating in the camps said they wanted to learn how to kidnap
soldiers, and wanted to join the commando forces and realize the right of
return. Muhammad, 17, from the Nuseirat refugee camp said: "Resistance is
our pride and strength. I joined the camp to become part of the elite youth
of the Al-Qassam Brigades and kidnap Zionist soldiers in order to liberate
my cousin from the occupation's prisons." Ahmad Al-Hosni, 19, said: "I
joined the camps in order to become a soldier in the Palestinian liberation
army, and therefore I want to train with every kind of weapon and military
equipment. I am an excellent swimmer and will ask the camp administration to
join the naval commandoes." He added that he dreamed of diving in the sea
"until [I] reach the Jaffa coast."[13]

At the camps' January 27, 2015 closing ceremony, Hamas political bureau
deputy director Isma'il Haniya said: "The people's rallying around the
resistance will thwart all of [Israel's] plans to harm the image of Hamas
and of the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades... The Al-Qassam Brigades' camps
are a strategic enterprise [aimed at] raising the generation of victory and
liberation. Resistance and preparations for bearing arms against the enemy
are no longer optional, but have become a culture embraced not only by
Hamas, but by every Palestinian home and every Palestinian sector."[14]

Establishing Training Camps In Advance Of The Formation Of A Regular Popular
Army

The Al-Qassam Brigades are also preparing for the next conflict with Israel
by establishing military camps. Recently, the Al-Qassam Brigades'
preparation and training division began constructing two camps, named
Al-Yarmouk and Filastin, near the Israel-Gaza border. A department official
said: "The brigades will continue to train, with no fear of Israel." He
added, "The training is also meant to assure the residents that the
resistance is in good shape, that it has not ceased operations as the
occupation claims, and that it is on the frontlines to defend the
people."[15]

Hamas political bureau head Isma'il Haniya recently visited a training camp
located one kilometer from the Israeli border and looked through binoculars
at the Israeli moshav of Netiv Haasara. He said: "Hamas's enterprise focuses
on resistance as a strategic option for [realizing the goal of] liberation
and return and not [the goal of establishing] a temporary state or a state
in the Gaza Strip."[16]

It is interesting to note that joint training was conducted for the first
time by the military wings of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (the Al-Quds
Brigades) and Hamas (the Al-Qassam Brigades). The Hamas website Al-Majd
explained: "The training is a deterring message to the occupation from the
resistance, as well as a message of strength for the domestic Palestinian
front."[17]

As part of its preparation for a future conflict, Hamas is making it clear
that it aims to transform its militias into a regular popular army that will
train recruits to use light arms and mortars. An Al-Qassam Brigades
statement posted in the 'Abdallah 'Azzam mosque in the Sabra neighborhood of
Gaza called on youth to register with a brigades representative to begin
training as part of the popular army. A brigades representative said:
"Thousands of youths have already registered for training."[18]

Hamas later announced the graduation of the first class, of 2,500 activists,
of its popular army. At the commencement ceremony, several of the graduating
activists held signs with a photo of Ibrahim Akari, the perpetrator of the
November 5, 2014 vehicular terrorist attack in Jerusalem.[19]

Hamas Marks Anniversary With Large-Scale Military Display

Hamas marked the December 14, 2014 anniversary of its founding with a show
of strength. In a large-scale military parade – the first since the
July-August fighting – it showed off its units as well as the various
weapons in its possession, among them long range R-160 rockets, J-80
missiles, and Iranian-made Ababil drones.[20]

Following the parade, Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu 'Ubeida said: "The
history of Hamas and its fighting brigades sets before us a glorious and
honorable picture of preparing and producing weapons and excavating through
rock to resist the occupier and cause it pain. Today, after many years, this
picture has produced the Al-Qassam Army, as you and the world see, with its
fighting units that participate today in this impressive display: artillery
units, marine units, the elite unit, the tunnel unit, the sniper unit, the
armored unit, the infantry unit, and the aerial defense unit. These are not
[mere] names and nicknames – they are fighting units that subdued the enemy
on Gaza's doorstep, broke its arrogant pretense, and humiliated their
opponents on the land, in the sea, and in the air, with the grace of Allah
the Almighty."[21]

Encouraging Terrorist Attacks, Intifada In West Bank And Jerusalem

Along with the buildup of Hamas forces in Gaza, the movement is encouraging
terror attacks in Jerusalem. Taking advantage of the tension in the city
that spiked due to rumors that Israel aimed to change the existing status
quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, it called for resisting the occupation by all
available means and at any time. Hamas spokesmen praised previous attackers,
some of them Hamas members or affiliates, and called on the Palestinian
people to continue such operations. Articles in Hamas newspapers and
websites also praised the attacks, and promised even more qualitative and
creative attacks in the future; some stressed that the conflict was
religious, not political.

Hamas also tried to expand the circle of violence to the entire West Bank,
with the aim of sparking a new intifada. Its spokesmen harshly criticized
the Palestinian Authority, demanding that it end security coordination with
Israel and allow the Palestinian people to express their rage, resist the
occupation, and launch a Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa intifada.

Hamas political bureau head Khaled Mash'al called on all Palestinian
factions to resist the occupation's activity in Jerusalem, and criticized
the political weakness of the PA. In an interview with the Qatar daily
Al-Sharq, Mash'al said: "[The response should be] resistance and inciting
the people against the occupation, since this deters the enemy. This matter
is not just the responsibility of Hamas, but rather of all factions together
and of the Palestinian leadership. Every Palestinian official should accept
national, political, and historic responsibility in light of the
unprecedented dangers faced by the Al-Aqsa Mosque."[22]

Addressing the possibility of a third intifada, Mash'al said that "things
are boiling below the surface, and some of this is already above the ground.
All the obstacles and attempts to bury and thwart this will fail, Allah
willing. The Palestinian volcano will not tarry, and will erupt in the face
of the occupation."[23]

The Hamas information office also incited demonstrations, with a campaign
called "Al-Aqsa is Ours." Hamas deputy information minister Ihab Al-Ghussein
said: "We respect and appreciate the stand of East Jerusalem residents who
bravely face the occupation." He went on to call on all Arabs and Muslims to
join the campaign for Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem.[24] The information office set
November 23 as a day of sympathy with Al-Aqsa.[25]

At a meeting in Khan Younis, Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said: "We can rely on the
reservoir of resistance in the West Bank. Vehicular attacks are one of its
inventions."[26] In a November 25, 2014 press release, Hamas spokesman
Hussam Badran called on the PA to join the people: "This could be its final
chance to change its path and policy; otherwise, history will have no mercy
for it, and the people will not forgive anyone who prevents the right of
resisting the occupation."[27]

Glorifying Jihad And Suicide Attacks

Hamas's preparation for the next conflict also includes preaching and
inciting jihad and suicide attacks. As stated, the Hamas leadership praised
recent terrorist attacks, especially those in Jerusalem, and called their
perpetrators hero martyrs who serve as role models for courage and
creativity because they carried out brave operations and gave their lives
for Al-Aqsa Mosque.[28]

Thus, for example, Hamas praised 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shaludi, who carried out
a vehicular attack on a Jerusalem light rail station on October 22, calling
him "a hero martyr."[29] Hamas also praised "the Al-Shaludi family for its
jihad and the sacrifices it made in its brave stand."[30] Hussam Badran even
said that the operation was "a heroic act and a natural right that should be
emulated."[31]

Hamas also praised the November 5, 2014 Jerusalem vehicular attack by
Ibrahim Al-Akari, whom they called "the hero martyrdom attacker... who
avenged his people and the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and
Jerusalem..."[32] The 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades also praised "the holy
warriors of Hamas and the heroes of Jerusalem, who mobilized to defend
Jerusalem with their lives and sacrificed their blood on its doorstep."[33]

Hamas official Younis Al-Astal also spoke in praise of jihad, at a
conference in honor of the martyrs in Khan Younis: "Armed resistance is the
only way to liberate Palestine... The Israelis think that, by means of siege
and [promises of] rebuilding, they can blackmail us with regards to the
resistance and its weapons. They are daydreaming... These are our weapons,
this is our spirit, and jihad for the sake of Allah is our life."[34]

When the murderers of the three youths who were kidnapped in Hebron area
were killed, columnist Khaled Ma'ali praised their "martyrdom" on a Hamas
website: "Martyrdom is the wish of any fighter. Martyrdom for the sake of
Allah is a goal for which [fighters] impatiently yearn."[35]

On the 11th anniversary of the death of Hamas founder Ahmad Yassin, the
organization inaugurated a monument in his honor and declared that it would
"never lay down its arms of resistance or stop resisting the Zionist
occupation."[36]

Hamas Attempts To Launch Additional Fronts

Alongside preparations for the next conflict, Hamas broke their tradition of
not operating against Israel from Arab countries and called to open
additional fronts. At a February 4, 2015 political conference in Gaza, Dr.
Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, from the Hamas political leadership, called on Syria and
Lebanon to enable the establishment of military cells subordinate to Hamas's
military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, in refugee camps on their
soil "so that they can run the resistance from [the lands] north of
Palestine [as well] and participate with us in its liberation."

This statement by a high-ranking Hamas official shows that the movement
intends to open a second front against Israel from Syria and Lebanon, which
it has thus far refrained from doing.

Following Al-Zahhar's statements, 'Emad Zaqout, news division chief at
Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV, wrote in an article titled "What is the Secret behind
Dr. Al-Zahhar's Statement?" that Hamas wants every conflict with Israel to
be an all-out conflict, and to include attacks on Israel from its northern
border as well. Zaqout even revealed that during the recent Gaza conflict,
rockets had been launched into Israel from Lebanon by elements operated by
the Al-Qassam Brigades:

"In the recent Gaza war, which lasted some two months, the Al-Qassam
Brigades operated several groups in Arab countries bordering occupied
Palestine, so that they could launch some rockets at cities in northern
occupied Palestine and cause confusion in the assessments of the Zionist
enemy.

"It seems that Hamas's leadership thinks, and is planning, that every future
war against the Zionist enemy will be all-out, meaning that it will
encompass every inch of land in Palestine, and make matters difficult for
the enemy. The leadership began preparing for this immediately after the
Gaza campaign, and possibly even during it.

"In this context, ties were renewed between Hamas and Hizbullah, which
motivated Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a member of Hamas's political leadership,
to state at a political conference recently held by Hamas's information
office in northern Gaza that the movement is working to establish groups
belonging to the Al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanese refugee camps close to
northern Palestine.

"I believe that Al-Zahhar's statements were made in coordination with
high-ranking Hizbullah officials. Also worthy of mention is the letter sent
by the fighting [Al-Qassam Brigades commander] Muhammad Deif to Hizbullah
secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, asking the [Lebanese] resistance to
[complement] the fire in occupied Palestine with crossfire from Lebanon.

"The question is whether Dr. Al-Zahhar's statements also apply to the
Palestinian presence in Syria, Jordan, and even Egypt."[37]

Also, on February 23, 2015, Hamas official Fathi Hammad said at a conference
that was also attended by Hamas political bureau deputy head Haniya: "We
must open new fronts from all the countries surrounding Israel, and also
from those that do not share a border with it."[38]

Endnotes:

[1] Palinfo.com, November 13, 2014.
[2] Paltimes.net December 12, 2014.
[3] Palinfo.com, November 15, 2014.
[4] Al-Risalah (Gaza), January 29, 2015.
[5] Palinfo.com, October 4, 2014.
[6] Alzaytouna.net, November 2, 2014.
[7] Palinfo.com, March 2, 2015.
[8] Al-Ayyam (PA), September 20, 2014.
[9] Al-Risalah (Gaza), October 19, 2014's; See MEMRI Special Dispatch No.
5863,"Hamas' Construction Of Gaza Tunnels Continues," October 23, 2014.
[10] Paltoday.ps, October 29, 2014.
[11] Palinfo.com, January 23, 2015.
[12] Noonpost.net, January 22, 2015.
[13] Noonpost.net, January 22, 2015.
[14] Palinfo.com, January 27, 2015.
[15] Alqassam,ps, March 14, 2015.
[16] Al-Hayat (London), April 6, 2014.
[17] Felesteen.ps, almajd.ps, March 8, 2015.
[18] Felesteen.ps, September 25, 2014.
[19] Al-Ayyam (PA), November 8, 2014; Al-Risalah (Gaza), November 7, 2014.
[20] Palinfo.com, December 14, 2014; Felesteen.ps, December 15, 2014. Also
see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5905, Hamas Senior Officials At Movement's
27th Anniversary Celebrations: We Will Not Recognize Zionist Entity Or Be
Satisfied With A Palestinian State Within 1967 Borders; We Thank Iran For
Supplying Us With Weapons, Missiles, December 16, 2014.
[21] Palinfo.com, December 14, 2014.
[22] Al-Sharq (Qatar), November 9, 2014.
[23] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5886, Hamas Praises Recent Terror
Attacks In Israel, Calls For Escalation And Launch Of New Intifada,
Threatens: 'The Palestinian Volcano Will... Erupt In Occupation's Face',
November 19, 2014.
[24] Paltoday.ps, November 23, 2014.
[25] Palinfo.com, December 21, 2014.
[26] Palinfo.com, November 25, 2014.
[27] Palinfo.com, November 25, 2014.
[28] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5886, Hamas Praises Recent Terror
Attacks In Israel, Calls For Escalation And Launch Of New Intifada,
Threatens: 'The Palestinian Volcano Will... Erupt In Occupation's Face',
November 19, 2014.
[29] Palinfo.com, November 23, 2014.
[30] Paltoday.ps, October 23, 2014.
[31] Alresalah.ps, October 23, 2014.
[32] Israj.net, November 5, 2014.
[33] Palinfo.com, November 5, 2014.
[34] Al-Risalah (Gaza), October 23, 2014.
[35] Felesteen.ps, September 23, 2015.
[36] Palinfo.com, March 21, 2015.
[37] Alwatanvoice.com, February 6, 2015.
[38] Palinfo.com, February 24, 2015.
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