| MEMRI video can be watched at the link. |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A top Hamas official has claimed that the terror group is 'not far off' from launching a 'war of liberation' that he says will be bigger than the October 7 incursion into Israel. Hamas political bureau member Osama Hamdan made the stark claims in an interview with Lebanese media outlet Bel Moubashar Online. In the interview, translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), he 'promise[d] that a war of liberation is coming, not just another October 7,' adding that he thinks such an event is not far off.
Hamdan, in his late 50s, also expressed no regret for 'shattering an entire division of the occupation army', referring to the 1,200 Israelis, almost all of whom were civilians, killed by Hamas during the October 7 incursion.
The group targeted young women and children, as well as families, killing thousands and kidnapping hundreds in the chaos of the incursion. The terror group's gunmen were seen parading the body of 22-year-old Shani Louk, who was partying with her friends hours before at the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re'im, in the back of a 4x4 truck. While her family held out hope that she was still alive, her family confirmed her passing in late October, though the circumstances of her death, as well as where and how the bone from her skull was found, are not currently clear.
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Hamas kidnapped 26-year-old Noa Argamani from the Nova festival, where Shani was also taken. Phone footage of the terrible day showed Noa being snatched from her friends and begging for her life on the back of a motorcycle. She was heard screaming: 'Don't kill me!'
It is not currently known where she is being held, or if she is even still alive, as she was not one of more than 100 hostages released by Hamas last week in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.
The Hamas political leader's stark warning comes as Israel's spy chief has vowed to hunt down and kill the terror group's leaders 'wherever they are in the world' even if it takes years.
Turkey responded by saying that Israel would bear 'serious consequences' if it tried to carry out any assassinations on Hamas within its borders or other countries. The threat of extra judicial killing was met with a warning by a Turkish intelligence source who was quoted as saying: The necessary warnings were given to the interlocutors based on the news about the statements of Israeli officials, and it was made clear to Israel that this would lead to serious consequences.'
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has called Hamas a 'liberation organization' accused Israel of 'genocide' in the Gaza Strip. He added that PM Benjamin Netanyahu 'will stand trial as a war criminal.'
Israeli TV station Kan has aired secret recordings from the head of the country's security agency known as Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, 58, in a news programme late on Sunday night. Bar, who has been boss at Shin Bet for two years, compared the October 7 massacre that left at least 1,200 dead and more than 200 kidnapped to Gaza as 'our Munich'. In the clips broadcast by Kan, Bar can be heard saying: 'The war cabinet gave us an objective, eliminate Hamas, and we are determined to do so. This our Munich.'
In 1972, Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics and killed 11 athletes and for years after the country wreaked a bloody revenge against those responsible. A later operation codenamed Wrath of God targeted nine members of the group responsible, and they were tracked down in Rome, Paris and Beirut and assassinated over a seven-year period.
Bar added: 'We are already learning our lessons from the events (of October 7).
'It will be done anywhere needed, in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar. It will take a few years, but we will be there to do it.
'Security responsibility is ours. Our duty is to provide both security and a sebse of security.
'Unfortunately, on October 7, we did not succeed in doing that. I think we are on an upward trajectory.'
In a letter to staff after the attacks Bar said: 'The responsibility is mine. Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to establish sufficient deterrence so as to thwart the attack.
'There will be a time for investigations. Now we are fighting.'
Senior Hamas leaders are known to live outside Gaza and the West Bank with key figures in Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar and Iran. Ismail Haniyeh, 61, the movement's chairman and head of Hamas political bureau, travels between Istanbul and Doha and is known to stay at luxury five-star hotels when he does. He is often joined by Khaled Masha, 58, in flying between Doha and Istanbul. Salah al-Arouri, 57, the deputy head of Hamas political bureau and responsible for the movement's military activities in the west Bank is in Beirut, Lebanon.
Last week The Wall Street Journal said PM Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered spy agencies to draw up plans to assassinate the group's top leaders outside Gaza, who live in Turkey, Qatar, and elsewhere.
According to the report, some called for Israel to immediately assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who lives in Doha, and others following the October 7 attack. However, such actions on Qatari or Turkish soil could have strained or torpedoed diplomatic efforts to free hostages, and the idea was put on hold.
The IDF has already taken out several key Hamas targets. 
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