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Hamas: Israel will pay high price if Hamas leaders are harmed [ 11/02/2008 - 06:47 PM ] GAZA, PIC-- Hamas Movement has made it sound and clear to the Israeli occupation government on Monday that it will strongly retaliate to any Israeli attempt to kill Hamas political leaders, and that the Movement will use all possible means in this regard. The Movement also warned the Israeli occupation government of paying a high price for any foolishness it might commit [against Hamas political leaders], adding that the response of Hamas will be unprecedented and with all available means. Hebrew media outlets had earlier reported that the Israeli occupation government decided to assassinate Hamas political leaders inside and outside occupied Palestine, asserting that the legitimate PA premier Ismail Haneyya was on the assassination list. In a press statement he issued and a copy of which was obtained by the PIC, Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri, the spokesman of Hamas Movement in Gaza Strip, described the Israeli threats against high-ranking Hamas officials as "serious escalation", underlining that Hamas's reaction to any Israeli attempt against its leaders will be "painful and unprecedented". Abu Zuhri also deplored the international silence towards the Israeli "official war crimes", adding that the Israeli occupation government was publicly threatening to kill Hamas political leaders, yet, he added, the international community appeared unconcerned with those threats. "This [the international passiveness towards the IOA threats] isn’t acceptable in Hamas, and it will push us to use all available means in confronting this occupation", underlined Abu Zuhri. However, the spokesman stressed that the Israeli threats frighten neither Hamas nor the Palestinians, asserting, "We will continue on the path of resistance in defense of our people and in defense of our legal rights". He also advised the Israeli occupation government to think twice before carrying out any "foolish acts" of this kind. Furthermore, the Hamas official revealed that the Hamas political leaders were taking all possible security measures to thwart the Israeli threats, but he asserted that such measures don’t affect the role of those leaders in the Palestinian arena. Abu Zuhri noted that the Israeli threats should spur the Arab and Muslim Ummah to mobilize their energies in confronting the Israeli occupation, and not to give it a chance to isolate the Palestinian people especially that the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people is politically, military, and financially supported by the USA. Barak beats drums of war: On Monday, Israeli war minister Ehud Barak ordered his occupation army to prepare for a "full-scale" military operation in the Gaza Strip, alleging that the operation aims at reducing number of Palestinian locally-made rockets fired on Israeli colonies. In a report he presented to the foreign and security committee in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), Barak asserted that Israel will take all necessary measures to restore calm and security to Sderot and other Israeli colonies adjacent to Gaza Strip. But he acknowledged that stopping the Palestinian rockets will take time, adding that the IOF attacks on Gaza Strip will "bear their fruits" regardless of the time it takes. Barak also revealed that the offensive on Gaza is very near but "it won't take place in the few coming days". Shaul Mofaz, the former Israeli war minister, didn’t rule out the possibility of reoccupying the entire Gaza Strip, saying, "this will be the last option".