‘Zionists, prepare your passports' threatens Hamas

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza on Saturday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Hamas terrorist group.

Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal is expected to speak at the central rally taking place in Gaza City. Mashaal entered the Strip on Friday, for the first time ever and after a long exile from Palestinian territory.

Thousands of Hamas supporters, some of them flashing victory signs, were braving the rain to attend the event. Some parents brought children dressed in military uniforms.

Palestinian sources reported that the terror organization’s supporters from throughout the region had arrived in Gaza to participate in the festivities.

A spokesmen for Hamas’s military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, warned Israelis to prepare their passports.

“We fought the Zionist entity with limited power,” he said. “What will happen when we fight with all our might?

“Zionists, you should prepare your passports and get ready to disappear,” the spokesman added.

In a special message released in honor of the anniversary, Hamas leaders vowed to continue the path of resistance and jihad “to liberate Palestine.”

“The great crimes perpetrated against us by the Zionist occupation only fuel our desire to resist and fight,” read the message.

The anniversary comes two weeks after the bloodiest round of Israel-Gaza fighting in four years.

Hamas has portrayed itself as the victor of the eight-day conflict because Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce instead of sending in ground troops, as it initially threatened.