By Staff, Agencies

Warning the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime of another humiliating defeat in a ground offensive on Gaza, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said the resistance forces have built over 400 kilometers of underground tunnels in northern Gaza.

Addressing a conference on civil defense held in Tehran on Monday, General Baqeri said one of the factors behind the sustainability of resistance in Palestine is the attention paid to the issue of civil defense.

“In the northern section of Gaza, what the [Palestinian] fighters report is that they have built more than 400 kilometers of tunnels. Vehicles and motorcycles can pass through some of them,” the top commander said.

The general noted that the tunnels have an entrance in the Gaza Strip, while their other end is behind the barriers and the Zionist forces.

General Baqeri added that the ‘Israeli’ regime has lost both in the battlefield and in the world’s public opinion. “If they [the Zionists] want to act logically, they have to accept a ceasefire sooner and buy some time through negotiations.”

He noted that the ‘Israeli’ army is procrastinating a ground invasion of Gaza because they are mindful that such an operation will mark another defeat for the Zionists.

“The Palestinian combatants are prepared for an ‘Israeli’ ground attack,” he stated.

Lauding the resistance forces for carrying out the Al-Aqsa Flood operation single-handedly, the Iranian general said ‘Israel’ has linked the operation with the forces outside Palestine in order to cover up its defeat.

The Palestinian forces’ operation indicated their intelligence and operational capabilities, while the Zionist regime has rushed to respond by committing crimes, Baqeri underlined, stressing that the aerial bombardment of Gaza is worthless in military terms.

At least 8,005 Palestinians have been martyred in Gaza in the ‘Israeli’ attacks since October 7.

Fears of a possible strike on Gaza’s Al-Quds Hospital have grown after the ‘Israeli’ regime ordered its “immediate” evacuation and as bombardment continues.

Deadly ‘Israeli’ raids continue also in the occupied West Bank, where more than 112 Palestinians have been martyred in three weeks.

More children have been martyred in Gaza in the last three weeks than the total killed in conflicts around the world in every year since 2019, Save the Children said.