Gaza terror groups plan large military drill

Palestinian terrorist groups are expected to carry out a large-scale military drill in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Twelve armed groups will participate in the joint drill, which “comes in the context of enhancing cooperation and joint action between the resistance groups to raise their combat readiness permanently and continuously,” according to a statement by the Gaza-based Joint Operations Room, a group consisting of various terrorist factions.

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior on Monday said the drill would begin at 10 a.m. and that the sea would be closed to all residents of the Gaza Strip, including fishermen, for its duration. In addition, several security and police headquarters will be evacuated for 24 hours.

The main groups expected to participate in the drill belong to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah.

According to the groups, the drill aims to send a “message of deterrence” to Israel. “The main message is that the Palestinian resistance groups are ready to respond to any Israeli aggression,” a Hamas official in the Gaza Strip told reporters.

Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, one of the groups scheduled to participate in the drill, said it would “carry new surprises and messages to the Zionist enemy.”

The Palestinians will see how the performance of the “resistance groups has developed their capabilities,” he said.

The drill “confirms that the resistance has an army that believes in unity in confronting the Zionist enemy and carries a message to the enemy that any aggression against our people will be met with a unified response,” Abu Mujahed said.