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Hamas said Israel is using claims about the group's military buildup to justify its continued attacks on the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire, the group said in a written statement.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Israel's growing claims that Hamas is strengthening its military power in personnel and weapons are "clear propaganda" against the group.
Qassem said the statements aim to justify "Israel's ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, massacres and violations of the ceasefire agreement."
Israeli media reported on July 3 that the Israeli army had made assessments about Hamas' military capacity.
The reports claimed Hamas had around 27,000 armed members, as well as thousands of rockets, explosive devices and drones. They also claimed the group had reactivated tunnel systems.
Hamas rejected the claims as part of what it described as Israeli propaganda aimed at legitimizing continued attacks on Gaza.
The Israeli army has carried out attacks on the Gaza Strip almost every day despite the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.
According to official figures, 1,066 Palestinians have been killed and 3,445 others injured in attacks on the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire began.
Since October 2023, the total death toll from Israel's attacks on Gaza has risen to 73,090, while the number of injured has reached 173,553.
Gaza's government media office previously said Israel controls more than 80% of the Gaza Strip after 1,000 days of war and has dropped more than 223,000 tons of explosives on the enclave.
The office said over 73,000 Palestinians had been killed, including over 21,500 children and 12,500 women, while 9,500 others remained missing.
It also said 173,514 Palestinians had been injured, including 433 journalists. According to the statement, 5,400 people had undergone amputations, 18% of them children, while 1,500 cases of paralysis and 1,200 cases of vision loss had been documented.
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