Hamas senior leader makes statement on hostages

The Middle East has returned to a bloodbath following the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation launched by Hamas militants on the morning of October 7 in Israel. Ali Barakeh, a senior Hamas leader living in exile in Lebanon, stated, "Hamas has a rocket arsenal that will last for a long time."

Speaking to the Associated Press, Barakeh said, "We are well prepared for this war and to deal with all scenarios, even the long war scenario," adding that Hamas would use the hostages to secure the release of people held in Israeli prisons and even some Palestinians held in the US.

Barakeh said that only a small number of senior militants in Gaza were aware of the attack to be carried out on Israel, and that even the group's closest allies were not informed in advance about the timing.

Denying reports that they received help from Iran in planning the attack, Barakeh said that Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon "would join the war if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation."

Stating that even Hamas was shocked by the scale of the operation, with the words "This great collapse surprised us," Barakeh said they had expected Israel to prevent or mitigate the attack.

Barakeh also stated, "We were planning to achieve some gains and exchange prisoners. (The Israeli army) This army turned out to be a paper tiger."