Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud Az-Zahar has responded to the possibility of an Israeli attack deep into Gaza by saying, "The message is clear, an eye for an eye, and if it attacks deep, we will attack the settlements deep inside Israel."
In an interview with the Hamas newspaper Falesteen, the former Gaza foreign minister said, "Among the Palestinian, Arab and Israeli leadership there are those who believe that the (Palestinian) people have forgotten their land, but the (Palestinian) people emphasize today that they have not forgotten a single inch of Palestine and will not give up any holy place in it, and we will not stop the struggle until we realize this goal."