A leader of the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas is explaining the militant organization’s strategy in taking hostages after a surprise attack on Israel.

Saleh al-Arouri bragged of Hamas’ ability to capture Israeli military personnel in a Saturday interview with Al-Jazeera.

“We managed to kill and capture many Israeli soldiers. The fighting is still on.”

The Hamas deputy chief claimed that the captives would be used in a bid to ransom prisoners held by Israel.

“Our detainees in [Israeli] prisons, their freedom is looming large,” he said.

“What we have in our hands will release all our prisoners. The longer fighting continues, the higher the number of prisoners will become.”

Israel detains 4,449 Palestinians in its prison system on “security” grounds, according to B’Tselem, a leftist nonprofit group based in Jerusalem. Another 850 were being held for being in Israel illegally, the group stated.

Not all of the captives taken in the raids are Israeli military personnel.

Hamas’ kidnapping of Israeli civilians could have an even darker motive than prisoner exchange negotiations.

Women captives could be subject to deliberate sexual attack, according to the Israel War Room, a pro-Israel nonprofit based in the United States.

Terrorists have also released videos featuring them transporting Israeli women and children captured in the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his nation was “at war” after the surprise attack, pledging a decisive response targeting Hamas’ home territory in the Gaza Strip, according to The Times of Israel.

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