Hamas leader defiant in face of new Israeli assault

Israel News.Net
Monday 12th January, 2009

In a recorded televised address, Hamas leader, Ishmael Haniyeh, has said the militant Islamist movement will still be able to drive Israel from the Gaza Strip.

haniyeh said the city would never be allowed to fall to the Israelis.

The defiant Hamas leader said his fighters were closer than ever to victory after 17 days of conflict.

Israeli infantry units, which have been augmented with thousands of newly-deployed reservists, have swept across Gaza in the operation which has been named Cast Lead.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised there will be severe consequences for Hamas if it continues to send rockets into Israel.

In a speech in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon, Mr Olmert said: "We want to end the operation when Hamas ends the rocket fire and stops rearming. If these two conditions are met, we will end our operation in Gaza. The Israeli people are no longer ready to tolerate the Qassam rockets."

An army spokesman said that close to 30 missiles had been launched from Gaza during the course of Monday, but there were no reports of casualties.

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