GAZA CITY — Hamas sources said a Hamas army was established in 2005 in wake of the Israeli
unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and has formed units in cities throughout the area.
The sources said thousands of
Palestinians have already been recruited into the new military force which has as it mission to
destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state.
The army has been based on Hamas's Izzedin Kassam military wing, Middle East Newsline reported. A
senior
commander in Izzeddin Kassam told the Palestinian newspaper Dunya Al Watan
that Hamas has established units in every major city and refugee camp in the
Gaza Strip.
The commander said thousands of Palestinians have been trained to fight
Israel and the West. They said the army would be used in the holy war
against non-Muslims.
[On Monday, an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle fired a rocket that
destroyed a car in Gaza City. Two suspected Islamic Jihad insurgents and
three civilians were killed in the strike.]
The training was designed to last four months, the commander, identified
as Abu Huzaifa, said. The first month has consisted of basic training, with
the remainder of the course comprising special operations as well as unit
maneuvers.
Abu Hazaifa said Palestinian cadets were taught firearms training,
rappeling buildings and outposts, launching Kassam-class, short-range
missiles and infiltrating enemy bases. He said the instructors were Hamas
fighters who had been trained abroad. Hamas has been trained in such
countries as Iran, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria.
The Hamas army has been commanded by the Izzedin Kassam Brigades. Abu
Huzaifa said the army also contained an intelligence unit to warn against
Israeli strikes. He said recruits have been trained to deploy in strategic
locations of the Gaza Strip and provide reconnaissance of Israeli ground,
air and artillery units.
The army has also overseen the development of new weapons. The sources
said this included extended-range Kassam rockets and bombs.
The sources said Hamas has already developed a system to quickly
mobilize thousands of fighters. They said the fighters would wage fierce
resistance to any Israeli attempt to capture the Gaza Strip.
