A member of the Hamas leadership has told a Kuwaiti newspaper that 400 bombers, willing to blow themselves up, are prepared for any large-scale Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Dr Nizar Rayan told ‘Al-Jareeda,’ "they are prepared and ready for an Israeli attack, with 400 bombers permanently wearing, and even sleeping in, their bomb belts, waiting to attack Israeli tanks."
"What is most surprising is that 200 female Hamas members have volunteered to wear bomb vests to counter Israeli tanks," he added.
"This is not the first time that women have participated in military operations. They have carried out such operations in the Israeli Occupation’s own backyard. Today defence of our land is our foremost duty," Rayan said.

Rayan is in charge of the military wing of Hamas and has been entrusted with the task of repelling any Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip. Rayan is at the top of Israel’s "wanted" list and they have tried but failed to assassinate him on a number of occasions in recent months.
He said that "repeated Israeli threats and insinuations to carry out a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip would be welcomed by Hamas’ military leaders who have public support from those on the front line."
Rayan denied that Hamas have received military training and support from other states in the region.
"These reports are completely untrue and the truth of which we’ve made no attempt to hide is that weapons of the Qassam members are locally made. For years we’ve had our own factory working day and night to improve the killing potential of the freedom fighters. The first things we produced were hand grenades, then launchers for these bombs, then energa bombs, then artillery bombs and Al-Bana rockets and Al-Batar rockets, then Qassam rockets, then Yassin launchers which are like rocket propelled grenades," he said.
"You can’t call our simple weapons an arsenal in the world of weapons. Politicians make fun of our equipment calling them ‘fireworks.’ What are our weapons compared with what the Zionists have? But what are the cowardly Zionists compared with our heroes?" he said.
Rayan added that there are more than 50,000 armed fighters ready to meet any Israeli onslaught.