A senior Hamas official said On Saturday that the IDF attack on the city of Khan Younis last week was clearly intended to attempt to install a bugging device.
Khalil Hayaya, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview with Al-Aqsa TELEVISION: "The enemy carries all kinds of devices they want to install, which is a burden on our people. He added that the commandos' actions were a clear violation of the 2014 ceasefire agreement.
"Israel considers Gaza to be a safe place and that It can intervene in Gaza at any time, but entering Gaza and undermining its security is not permitted". Khalil Hayaya went on to add that Egyptian and U.N. mediators "knew it was a violation of the agreement." Israel demands that the escalation of events be stopped from the outset, knowing they are the party responsible for the crime.
A failed raid by IDF officers and men last Sunday night resulted in the deaths of an elite officer and six Hamas militants, including Hamas commander Khan Younis Barak.
According to reports from Gaza, Barak returned to his home in the northern part of Khan Younis city when he noticed a suspicious Volkswagen parked outside the window. He questioned the passengers inside the car, including two IDF personnel dressed in women's clothing. When Barak expressed dissatisfaction with their answers, the occupants of the vehicle drew their weapons and an exchange of fire ensued.
Images shared on social media show what the Volkswagen left behind, as well as equipment discarded by the commandos as they evacuated to Israel. After the raid, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired nearly 500 mortars and rockets at Israel, killing one person and injuring nearly a hundred others.
On Saturday night, Hamas leader Yahya warned Israel "not to test us again," saying the group's missile arsenal had become more precise, larger in range and larger in payload than older missiles.
"Israel's enemies have understood that our calm in recent years is not without meaning," Yahya said at a ceremony commemorating Hamas militants killed in the IDF attacks. ”
(Edit: DXY)