Friday, February 8, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime said 2,000 fighters transited to the Gaza Strip from neighboring states in recent days. Hamas sources said the fighters came from such countries as Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria. The sources said the foreigners volunteered to fight Israel and entered the Gaza Strip in late January and early February, when the 12-kilometer border was breached by the Hamas regime.
"Some of these fighters are experts in combat, explosives and weapons production," a Hamas source said.
The sources said the foreign volunteers quietly entered Egypt in late 2007 and early 2008 in preparation to enter the Gaza Strip. They said the need to recruit trained fighters and acquire weapons was a major reason for the destruction of the border wall with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Jan. 23. In late January, the Al Qaida-aligned Fatah Al Islam called on Muslims to flock to Sinai and enter the Gaza Strip. Fatah Al Islam fought the Lebanese Army for more than 100 days in 2007.
The Maan news agency, quoting Hamas sources, said 2,000 volunteers entered the Gaza Strip over a two-week period. Maan said the fighters would join Hamas and other militias.
Many of the fighters have begun training in Hamas and Islamic Jihad military camps, the sources said. They said the volunteers entered with weapons, explosives and missiles.
"The armed wing of Hamas has decided to resume martyrdom [suicide] operations against Israel after a one-year lull," Abu Osama Abdul Muti, Hamas's representatives in Iran, said. "The enemy should expect more attacks."
But Hamas sources said many of the foreign volunteers were forced to leave the Gaza Strip. The sources said Hamas has told foreign Islamic insurgency groups that the Palestinians have enough combatants.
The Jerusalem Post quoted a Palestinian Authority official as saying that Iranian security specialists also crossed into Gaza. The official said the Iranians would help train Hamas and Jihad forces.