MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Israel is making a mistake by deciding to conduct a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal said on Friday.

"They have made a decision but have not yet launched it. We think that the current situation is very difficult and it would be a big mistake for Israel to launch this attack," he told TASS.

According to the Palestinian diplomat, if Israel follows through on this decision, there is a risk that other countries, such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, would be drawn into the conflict. "What can we do? We are on our soil and will not leave it. We will resist an armed attack," he said.

"I said that sooner or later they would launch this operation. Maybe tomorrow, maybe today - we don’t know when," he said. "That is why they told our civilians to go from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south. Today or tomorrow, we don’t know, but the Israeli side will begin this operation. It will be a catastrophe. It will be difficult for everyone."

He noted that Israel’s ground operation would end "not in a day or two, not in ten or fifteen days, not even in twenty days."

Israeli Ambassador to Russia Ben Zvi told TASS earlier that Israel had decided to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip as it will be impossible to destroy Hamas terrorist structures and release hostages without it. He did not say however when the operation would begin.