Hamas official warns Israel: ‘Rafah operation won’t be a cakewalk’

Hamas has begun preparing for a planned Israeli operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, an unnamed leader from the terror group is quoted as saying.

In an interview with Qatari-owned outlet Al-Arabi Al-Jadid, the terror group official warns, “The Rafah operation will not be a cakewalk as the occupation leaders think.”

He is quoted as saying that Hamas and other terror groups “are fully prepared to inflict heavy losses on the occupation army.”

The official also threatens further attacks from the so-called “axis of resistance,” a collection of Iran-backed movements hostile to Israel and the United States that also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group and Iraqi militias.

“The head of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, is leading the entire region to an explosion, and if it occurs, no party will be able to control its repercussions,” he warns.

The Houthis in Yemen have attacked Red Sea shipping for months since the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack, saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, while Hezbollah has launched daily attacks from Lebanon since October 8.