Al Qassam Brigades, the paramilitary wing of Hamas, held a press conference late Saturday night in Gaza, promising an “important video message” that would shock Israel.
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269913313167671296
People in #Gaza are already gathering around TVs, anticipating an "important video message from Al Qassam Brigades". #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Self-described Islamic libertarian Iyad El-Baghdadi live-tweeted the conference. Among the claims by Al Qassam is the shooting down of an Israeli warplane over the Gaza sea, an event the group claims Israel is hiding from its people.
Al Qassam statement: Our enemy wanted to break our backs, but has miscalculated. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: By assassinating Ja3bari they opened fire on themselves. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: Every time you assassinate one our leaders you take us closer towards liberation. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: Our operation "Shale Stones" so far included 900 rockets fired. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: Numerous military targets were hit, including tanks and military runways. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
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Al Qassam statement: Five-million Israelis are under the reach of our rockets. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: Several Israeli targets within Gaza itself were hit. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: We fired at several Israeli jets, we estimate two were hit. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: Our fighting force is intact and we have the ability to take the initiative. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269919107032440832
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269919863290617856
Al Qassam statement seems to insist on calling Tel Aviv "Tall al Rabee3" (Arabic translation). #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: To Israeli citizens, your own government brough the rockets to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269920995886911488
Al Qassam statement: To Israeli government, we challenge you to reveal the nature of the targets we have hit. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: To Arabs & Muslims, the battle isn't for Gaza but for Palestine. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement: We salute our people for their patience and courage and thirst for liberty. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269921442089558016
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269922748086771712
Al Qassam statement: Statement ended. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
No big surprise so far, a video loop is playing. Waiting for that video they promised. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Seems to be a video of a Qassam fighter firing a surface to air missile at an Israeli jet. #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
One lesson learned from Hamas — don’t believe everything you see, such as that photo of an injured child which was revealed to have been taken in Syria a month earlier. A rumor spread last night claimed Hamas had downed an Israeli F-16 and captured the pilot.
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269925010444013569
The video is shaky and I won't call it conclusive. Maybe they want #Israel to know they have surface to air missiles. #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
OK, so that's the big video. I'm sure a Youtube will appear soon… #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
It appears to show a fighter in an olive grove, firing a shoulder-launched surface to air missile towards an Israeli jet. #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
The video does not show the jet being hit or going down (unless I'm wrong, it was quite shaky). #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
I guess Hamas wants to send a message to #Israel that it can target their jets. #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
I must say that was anticlimactic. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
There was no immediate reaction to the press conference from the IDF’s official Twitter account. Twitchy will continue to monitor the situation. In the meantime, it seems observers should expect more of the same.
Nothing whatsoever about a truce or a cease fire in the Al Qassam statement. #Israel #Gaza
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
Al Qassam statement summary: You started it, we aren't firing rockets blindly or targeting civilians, we're ready for you. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
I think people in #Gaza were expecting news about a cease fire or a truce with good terms, but there was nothing of that. #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
One viewer in Egypt captured a shot of the video.
AlQassam spokeperson: We've shot down an F-16, the crash site is located in the sea. #Gaza
— Mahmoud Omar (@_Mahmoud) November 17, 2012
— Mahmoud Omar (@_Mahmoud) November 17, 2012
Update:
Al Qassam has uploaded the video that will shock Israel to YouTube, and yes, it’s “shaky” in more ways than one. (Fair warning: it’s loud.)
https://twitter.com/AlqassamBrigade/status/269933540521689088
And after that disappointing statement and anticlimactic video, back to your regularly scheduled bombardment. #Gaza #Israel
— İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي (@iyad_elbaghdadi) November 17, 2012
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