More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel as a result of the violence.
Gaza City:
The threat of an Israeli ground invasion of the blockaded Gaza Strip “does not scare us and we are ready for it,” Abu Obeideh, the spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, said on Monday.
In a televised statement, he said the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were holding 200 people captive since a massive attack on southern Israel on October 7, while about 50 others were being held by other “resistance factions and in other places.”
“The threat of the occupation (Israel) to launch a ground offensive against our people does not scare us and we are ready for it,” Abu Obeideh said ahead of an expected Israeli invasion more than a week into the war.
Israeli officials say more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel in the violence that began with the early morning Hamas attack.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said earlier Monday that Israel had been able to confirm and notify the relatives of 199 prisoners in Gaza.
According to Abu Obeideh, “we will release the foreign prisoners when the conditions are right.”
He said at least 22 hostages from Israel were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
In total, more than 2,750 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the narrow Palestinian enclave since October 7, according to Hamas officials.
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