Jerusalem - De-facto Palestinian prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniya, of Hamas, issued a statement from his hideout Tuesday, seeking to boost morale in Gaza and vowing its people would not "surrender" to the Israeli ground troops operating in the Strip.

"The ground aggression on the Gaza Strip is proof that the Occupation (Israel) has failed to force the population of the Gaza Strip to surrender," he said in the statement sent to reporters.

"This war against Gaza would be harder if it were carried out against other peoples in the world, but the Palestinian people in Gaza are defeating their enemy by their steadfastness and faith."

The people of Gaza may not have tanks and warplanes, he said, but they have the strength, the will, the patience and the ability to survive under severe conditions. (dpa)