Die israelische Zeitung beruft sich dabei auf ungenannte „palästinenische Quellen“ – die man vielleicht im Sicherheistapparat der PA/Fatah vermuten darf, wo ein starkes Interesse daran besteht, die konkurrierende Organisation geschwächt zu sehen:
Palestinian sources reported Thursday that the „Iranian Unit“ of Hamas, members of the group’s military wing trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, had been destroyed.
According to the sources, most of the unit’s members were killed in fighting in the Zeytun neighborhood, where they had been deployed by the military leadership of Hamas. The unit numbered approximately 100 men who had traveled to Iran and Hezbollah camps, mostly in the Beka’a Valley, where they were trained in infantry fighting tactics. The militants were also trained in the use of anti-tank missiles, the detonation of explosives, among other skills.
They managed to return to the Gaza Strip through tunnels in the Rafah border area, although a few also crossed during one of the few times that Egypt agreed to open the border crossing as a gesture of good will to Hamas.
The same sources also noted that Iran is preparing for an end to the fighting, at which point they want to send money to the Gaza Strip in order to assist Hamas in rebuilding destroyed homes – but also restore its military capabilities.