TEL AVIV – Speaking during exclusive WND interviews today, leaders of Hamas and an allied terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip claimed they have "surprises" in store for Israel as the Jewish state continues its aerial bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza.

The threats come as information from Israeli defense officials indicates Gaza-based terrorists have long-range rockets capable of reaching just outside Tel Aviv if launched from the northern Gaza Strip.

"This war is a war for elections and therefore we promise to send them (Israelis) surprises," stated Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' so-called military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades.

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Abu Abdullah claimed to WND that if Israeli ground troops entered Gaza, his terror group is ready to engage.

"This will be the day of al-Hasher - the day where believers and nonbelievers will be fighting face to face, and we will get rid of them and Allah will win for the Muslims and the believers," he said.

Muhammad Abdel-Al, spokesman and leader of the Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees terror group in Gaza, also claimed his organization has "surprises" in store for Israel. "We will keep fighting the Zionists until Israel will evacuate Ashdod and Ashkelon and Yavneh," he added, referring to several Israeli towns.

Israel yesterday took out a Popular Resistance Committees target, killing 10 of Abdel-Al's commanders. Also yesterday, five of Abu Abullah's direct cousins from Hamas were eliminated during air raids.

Sources inside Hamas and the Committees hinted to WND the "surprises" they have in store for Israel include the ability to hit Tel Aviv with rockets from Gaza, a claim that may be grounded in some truth.

Earlier today, a Grad-style rocket reached the vicinity of the Bedouin town of Rahat, the furthest point eastward a Palestinian projectile has managed to reach.

More telling is a Grad rocket fired on Sunday that landed near Gan Yavne in south Israel, an area that is just a 15 minute highway ride from Tel Aviv. The Israel Defense Forces said the rocket was launched from northern Gaza, the furthest point from which to reach deepest inside Israel.

WND, though, obtained specific information indicating that rocket actually was fired from just outside the Egyptian embassy in central Gaza, meaning if the same rocket had been launched from northern Gaza it could technically have reached outside Bat Yam, a satellite town of Tel Aviv.

Avital Lebovich, a spokeswoman for the IDF, did not deny Palestinians may be capable of firing at Tel Aviv.

"Hamas can have variety of capabilities," she told WND when asked whether Gaza rockets can strike Tel Aviv.

 

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