We powerfully strike the enemy … and declare it in the opportune moment

Facts speak for themselves and events affirm our role and Jihad … we were not absent from the arena of events as liars claimed. We were always ready to perform our role … we struck the enemy on the land and at sea and penetrated all military and security blocks. We hoisted our guns and roamed every spot in our homeland but did not declare responsibility for many operations that we had launched since a new stage in our historic confrontation with the Zionist enemy had started that would lose that enemy its mind.

Within that new confrontation, we declare responsibility for the Rafah operation one month after it took place in addition to other heroic attacks but we reserve the right of declaring responsibility for other operations at the opportune time.

First: The Rafah marine operation on Tuesday 7/11/00 in which Mujahid hero Hamdy Arafat Ensio was martyred when he blasted a boat loaded with 120 kilograms of TNT in an Israeli “Dabur” navy vessel at sea destroying it completely and killing all on board. The enemy did not declare number of casualties or losses suffered in the operation.

Second: The heroic remote-controlled Khadera blast on 22/11/00 that led to the death of 21 Israelis and the injury of 65 others.

Third: The heroic Kfar Darum operation on 20/11/00, which was launched with the use of an explosive device similar to the one that martyred hero commander Awad Silmi.

Fourth: Constant firing operations in Rafah, Khan Younis, Beit Hanun and the West Bank.

We in the Qassam Brigades while bearing the glad tidings of the martyrdom of our hero Hamdy Arafat Ensio to the Arab and Islamic Nation and our stationed Palestinian people, we would like to affirm that there is no other road than that of Jihad and no other alternative than that of resistance. We would also like to affirm that we did not and would not give up Jihad and would not drop our arms despite persecutions and siege. The fall of one martyr after the other would not weaken us or stop our Jihad march or prevent our advance towards plucking the Zionist entity off our holy land.

We tell Barak and his panicked army, which we vanquished, that we never fear death as you do and we never love life as much as you do. We tell him that one day you will taste the bitterness of the Qassam swords; we will make you taste death, which you always flee from and teach you the horror that you dread. You will remember our might when you flee in front of our men’s determination and when you get entangled in the mud of your blood that would be shed by Palestine freedom fighters and guardians of the Aqsa. In the coming few days you will see for yourself seriousness of our promises and threats.

Good for you the martyrdom Hamdy that you have always worked for and we pledge that we will remain loyal to you and to your brothers until we meet our fate.

Allahu Akbar and Lilallah Al-Hamad

And it is a Jihad (until) victory or martyrdom

The Qassam Brigades
10 December 2000