By Ramzy Mahmoud
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Hamas group said Wednesday that the military operation it launched against Israel is a "supremely defensive operation."
"The military operation (launched Saturday) targeted Israeli military locations and bases," Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told Anadolu.
Badran described Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza as "a genocide," adding his movement's priority currently is to "stop the barbaric aggression on the innocent civilians in Gaza."
He firmly denied Israeli allegations that Hamas fighters "slaughtered Israeli civilians."
"Our religion prevents us from targeting civilians," he said.
Badran said the top commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, instructed his fighters "to refrain from targeting civilians."
The Israeli news channel i24 alleged on Tuesday that the Al-Qassam Brigades "beheaded many Israeli babies" during an early Saturday attack from the Gaza Strip.
Despite international journalists and news agencies debunking the allegation, the claim continued to make headlines Wednesday in Israeli and Western media, receiving millions of views on social media.
Hours later, Anadolu contacted the Israeli military by phone to ask about the claim, with their spokesperson saying "we have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that."
Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air and sea.
It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.
In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in the current bout of violence, including at least 1,100 Palestinians and 1,300 Israelis.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar