Al-Qassam Brigades Did Not Threaten To Destroy the Dimona Nuclear Reactor in Israel
The Claim
Al-Qassam: We have the ability to destroy the Dimona nuclear reactor, but we were committed to international and Arab pressure in particular.
News posted on
Emerging story
Several accounts and pages on the X social platform have been sharing a news story claiming that the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas movement, had threatened to destroy the Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel. The claim was published as a statement attributed to Al-Qassam, asserting that “we have the capability to destroy the Dimona nuclear reactor, but we had obligations due to pressure from international and especially Arab states that destroying the reactor would lead to a catastrophe in the entire region. However, since these states are sitting idle and incapable of stopping the crimes of the occupation against innocent civilians in Gaza, we explicitly declare today that we will destroy the reactor and let it affect us as well as our enemy."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be fake. The Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades did not declare its intention to destroy the Dimona nuclear reactor due to Israel's continued targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip. The statement that is being circulated is not authentic and has no foundation in truth.
Al-Qassam Brigades Launch Missiles Toward the Town of Dimona
Al-Qassam Brigades said on October 28 that they targeted the region of Dimona with a burst of missiles, in response to the Israeli bombings that killed thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza strip. Israeli Channel 13 had said on October 11 that Israeli forces had clashed in the town of Dimona in the Negev desert with Al-Qassam fighters during the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. There are no reports on an alleged direct targeting of the Dimona nuclear site, nor are there official statements from Al-Qassam expressing an intention to target it.
Israeli War on Gaza: Over 10 Thousand People Killed
Resistance factions in the Gaza strip continue to counter the Israeli ground invasion on several axes on the 33rd day of the ongoing war. They announced the destruction of a number of military vehicles and the targeting of areas in the occupied territories. On the other side, Israel said in a statement on Wednesday, November 8, that its forces had killed Muhsin Abu Zina, head of weapons manufacturing for Hamas.
As the Israeli war on Gaza has now killed over 10 thousand people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there would be no ceasefire if the hostages are not released.
Israeli Minister: Nuking Gaza Is an Option
On November 5, Israeli Heritage Minister, Amichai Eliyahu, advocated the idea of using a nuclear bomb on Gaza. In a statement to Israeli radio channel Kol Barama, he said that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza strip is one of the options, claiming that there are no innocent people in Gaza.
Subsequently, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister announced the suspension of the Heritage Minister from attending government meetings due to his statement and the resulting controversy.
Qatar Calls for Monitoring of Israeli Nuclear Facilities
Qatar had called in late September for more intensive efforts to submit Israeli nuclear facilities to the guarantees of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The country also expressed the need for Israel to join the Treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The Qatar call came at the annual general summit of IAEA in Vienna and was read by the chief of the Qatari Committee for Prohibition of Weapons, Abdulaziz Salmin Al-Jabri.
The Israeli Nuclear Program
Israel has never formally admitted possessing nuclear weapons, but international reports say the country does possess a nuclear program, despite the unknown number of nuclear warheads it owns. The Federation of American Scientists has evaluated that Israel currently possesses 90 nuclear warheads, whereas other reports suggest that the Israeli nuclear arsenal amounts to 200 nuclear bombs.
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