Operation Iron Swords - Day 56 - 01 December 2023
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NEW - Operations NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages |
The Qur'an invokes the importance of Friday as a sacred day of worship in a chapter called “Al-Jumah,” meaning the day of congregation, Friday (Jumu'ah) is the most important day in Islam because of the status given to it by God and His last Messenger Muhammad. The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad says on its Telegram channel that it has targeted the Kissufim kibbutz with 107 rockets. he Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli soldiers “with appropriate weapons” close to a military position along the border.The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, have claimed the attack on Tel Aviv, where air raid sirens sounded.
The Israeli army said in an X post that it identified a “number of launches” from Lebanon toward its positions and responded with artillery fire. It added that fire from Lebanon was directed at army posts “in the area of Rosh Hankara and Margaliot as well as towards the city of Kiryat Shmona”, and that its air defences successfully intercepted the attack.
Negotiations in Qatar continue, despite the resumption of combat operations. A White House spokesperson says Hamas failed to produce a list of captives to enable further extension of the pause in Gaza. They added that the White House and President Biden remain engaged in trying to reimplement a truce. The White House says it will continue to press to extend the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas after intense fighting erupted this morning following the deal’s expiration. “We continue to work with Israel, Egypt and Qatar on efforts to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
Negotiators have to come up with something positive. They cannot afford to have a second day of fighting because there might be a tipping point where suddenly you won’t have any control of this whole situation. This is something the Qataris understand. There’s been a momentum they’ve been building, and they were hoping to capitalise on that momentum to convince the Americans, in particular, to put more pressure on Israel for this ceasefire to hold. If it continues, and if the escalation continues for another day, it’s going to be extremely difficult to return to square one.
Israel could secure the freedom of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza through talks or by “other means”, an Israeli official told Reuters. Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General Oded Joseph, speaking in Dubai, said Israel remained intent on securing the release of all hostages and destroying Hamas. “Naturally, we would reach a point where again we would want to find a way to make sure all our kidnapped are released,” Joseph said. “Part of it might of be out of, sort of, discussions, but part of it could be by other means,” he said, without providing further details.
The representative in Tehran of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said the identity of many spies working for Israel, even those inside Iran, were disclosed when the resistance forces obtained information from the Israeli data servers after the Al-Aqsa Storm operation on October 7. Nasser Abu-Sharif, the Islamic Jihad's representative in Iran, made the remarks during an event held in Tehran on 29 November 2023. His remarks concerned the Al-Aqsa Storm operation of October 7 that was waged by the Islamic Jihad and its fellow Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. During the operation, "the resistance managed to take the Israeli regime's intelligence servers to Gaza," he said. "The servers contained the names of many spies even those who were inside the Islamic Republic," Abu-Sharif added, Press TV reported. He said the operation's "achievements beggar belief" since it caught "the entire world's intelligence apparatuses" by surprise. According to a New York Times report 01 December 2023, Israel was aware of Hamas' plans to attack southern Israel over a year before the October 7 operation. However, Israel dismissed the plans as "aspirational". Citing documents, emails, and interviews, the report said Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the Hamas plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for the Palestinian militant group to execute it.
The report said that an approximately 40-page document called "Jericho Wall" gave details about Hamas' proposed attack. There was no fixed date for the attack. The newspaper pointed out that the document, which the Israeli authorities called the “Jericho Wall,” mentioned “in detail” and “point by point” the devastating invasion that later led to the death of about 1,200 people.But it described a methodical assault designed to overwhelm fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over cities in Israel, and storm key military basess, including the division headquarters. It was not yet known if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top Israeli politicians saw the document.
The NYT report claimed the terrorists followed the blueprint "with shocking precision: document called for a barrage of rockets at the outset of the attack, drones to knock out the security cameras and automated machine guns along the border, and [terrorists] to pour into Israel en masse in paragliders, on motorcycles and on foot." - all of which actually happened on October 7. The document also showed details about the location and size of Israeli forces, communication hubs, and other sensitive information. This raised questions about how Hamas gathered its intelligence and whether there were any leaks inside the Israeli security establishment.
Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the IDF's Gaza Division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said Hamas' intentions were unclear. military assessment reviewed by the New York Times stated that “it is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it might materialize.”
Three months before the October 7 attack, a veteran analyst with Israel's signals intelligence agency Unit 8200 warned that Hamas had carried out an intense daylong training exercise that appeared similar to what was outlined in the document. On July 6, the analyst wrote to a group of other intelligence experts that dozens of Hamas militants had recently conducted training exercises, with senior commanders of the group observing. She warned the drill closely followed the Jericho Wall plan, and Hamas was building the capacity to conduct it.
'It is a plan designed to start a war,' said a veteran analyst reporting on Hamas's training exercise in July. The veteran analyst of Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, warned that Hamas conducted intense training exercise that matched the preparation outlined in the blueprint, said NYT. "I utterly refute that the scenario is imaginary. It is a plan designed to start a war. It’s not just a raid on a village," wrote the analyst. However, a colonel in the Gaza division brushed off her concerns by saying the scenario was imaginary, and not an indication of Hamas' ability to pull it off. “In short, let’s wait patiently,” the colonel said, the NYT reported.
"The audacity of the blueprint, officials said, made it easy to underestimate. All militaries write plans that they never use, and Israeli officials assessed that, even if Hamas invaded, it might muster a force of a few dozen, not the hundreds who ultimately attacked," cited the report. NYT stated that Israeli officials would not disclose the origin of the report, but the blueprint is said to have been among "several versions of attack plans collected over the years."
For example, a 2016 Defense Department memo seen by The New York Times says, “Hamas intends to move the next confrontation into Israeli territory.” Such an attack would likely include hostage-taking and “the occupation of an Israeli community (and perhaps even a number of communities),” the memo said. As for the “Jericho Wall” document, which was named after ancient fortifications in the modern West Bank, it is more clear than previous memos, according to the newspaper, as it spoke in detail about missile attacks to distract Israeli soldiers and push them into bunkers, and drones to disrupt the elaborate security measures along the fence separating Israel from Gaza. After that, the newspaper reported that Hamas militants would breach 60 points in the wall and storm the border into Israel.
One of the most important goals mentioned in the document was to overrun the Israeli military base in Ra'im, which includes the Gaza Division responsible for protecting the area. Other bases under divisional command are also listed. Hamas carried out this goal on October 7, overrunning Re'im and parts of the base.
Officials privately acknowledge that if the army had taken these warnings seriously and redirected large reinforcements to the south, where Hamas had attacked, Israel could have thwarted or perhaps even prevented the attacks. The newspaper said, "What could have been an intelligence coup turned into one of the worst miscalculations in Israel's 75-year history."
A security researcher living close to the Lebanon border said Hezbollah had a similar plan. Sarit Zehavi is the CEO and founder of Alma - an independent research centre specialised in Israel's security challenges on its northern border. She told The Sun: "It [Hezbollah] has the same operational plan as what we've seen on October 7th with Hamas. Hezbollah has a unit named the Radwan Brigade, composed of a few thousands of experienced terrorists. Their mission, once they get the order, is to invade into the Israeli communities and cities up north where I live and kill Israelis and take them as hostages to become human shields. This is according to their plan, that they published."
Operational Update
IDF fighter jets are currently striking Hamas terror targets in Gaza. Details to follow. Following the initial report regarding sirens sounded in communities near Gaza, the IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a launch from Gaza. The IDF said that its ground, air and naval forces struck targets in both the north and south of the Gaza Strip, including in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. the Israeli army said that it had bombed 200 targets in the Gaza Strip since the end of the truce, including sites in Rafah and Khan Yunis, south of the Strip.
Yoav Gallant, a member of Israel’s three-man war cabinet, said in a social media post that Israel would continue its attacks on Gaza “until we achieve the goals of the war”, including the dismantling of Hamas, despite many analysts pointing out the difficulty in fulfilling that goal. Gallant said that the Israeli military had achieved “impressive” results since resuming its bombing of Gaza.
Numerous plumes of smoke rose in the sky from Israeli army strikes on Khan Younis. Khan Younis in southern Gaza is where thousands of Palestinians have fled from bombing farther north. Earlier in the day, the Israeli army dropped leaflets on the city, instructing Palestinians there to flee farther south to Rafah.
Israeli aircraft targeted the town of Abasan, east of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Artillery also bombed the east of the Central Governorate and Khan Yunis, south of the Strip, and planes bombed a house in the Abu Iskandar area, northwest of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Agency. Israeli planes also targeted a house in the Yabna refugee camp in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, while Israeli boats and artillery bombed the coast of Gaza City, Nuseirat, Al-Zawaida, the areas northwest of Gaza, and the eastern and western regions of the central Gaza Strip. Also, an Israeli bombing targeted an apartment in Hamad Town, west of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, killing two people and wounding others, while the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, witnessed several raids, according to Al-Hurra’s correspondent. Israeli aircraft targeted several raids on the Nuseirat camp and the Al-Mughraqa area, south of Gaza City. Fierce clashes took place between the Palestinian resistance and the occupation forces in the Al-Nasr and Sheikh Radwan neighborhoods in Gaza City. For its part, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, announced on the Telegram platform that its fighters targeted an Israeli force stationed inside a building in Beit Hanoun, northeastern Gaza Strip, with 4 anti-personnel and fortification shells.
It also said that its fighters targeted, with a Tandom shell and machine guns, an Israeli troop carrier with a number of soldiers on board, north of Gaza City, and they also targeted a tank with a "Shawaz" device in the north of the city as well.
Al-Qassam announced that it bombed Tel Aviv with a missile barrage in response to the Israeli massacres against civilians. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that sirens sounded in the greater Tel Aviv area and all areas extending south of it. Earlier, resistance missiles targeted Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod , and Beersheba.
Al-Qassam also bombed the Re'im military base and the Netivot settlement in the Gaza envelope, in addition to targeting concentrations of Israeli forces north and south of Gaza City with dozens of heavy-caliber mortar shells.
The Israeli army announced that it had published a list of “evacuation zones” (“blocks”) in the Gaza Strip, clarifying the way residents of Gaza will move” during the next phase of the war. In a statement, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee renewed the accusation that "Hamas is using residents as human shields and that it has planted its headquarters and military infrastructure in residential areas and civilian facilities."
The spokesman said, “Since the beginning of the war, the Israeli army has taken various measures to avoid causing loss of civilian lives and distinguish between them and terrorists,” including by transmitting messages and leaflets to the residents of Gaza instructing them to evacuate certain areas “from which terrorist activities are launched,” and to move away from Route related streets.
The IDF stated "Since the beginning of the war in Gaza against the Hamas terrorist organization, it has been using the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields, planting its headquarters and military infrastructure in their residential areas, hospitals, mosques, and schools, converting civilian sites to military targets, in violation of the international law on the rules of war, which explicitly stipulates that civilians should not be used as human shields. The IDF takes all possible precautions to avoid causing loss of civilian life or injury, adopting all available means. Therefore, it always sends messages to the residents of Gaza by asking them to evacuate the targeted areas that constitute the target of the army’s activities, and directing them in all possible ways: Publish a map that includes a list of blocks with their numbers as a means of knowledge that the residents of Gaza rely on as information and news to avoid harm and preserve their lives."
Adraee added that, “in preparation for the next stages of the war,” the Israeli army is publishing a map of the evacuation areas (“blocks”) in the Gaza Strip, where the territory of the Strip has been divided into areas according to the division of known neighborhoods in order to allow residents to navigate, understand instructions, and move from specific places in If they are asked to do so “for their safety.”
The published map showed the numbers of evacuation zones (“blocks”) in the north and south of the Strip, with a call to residents to find the block relevant to their place of residence and to act if they are asked to move from it. The statement stated that the map was published on a special page on the Israeli army’s website in Arabic and through a special video clip published on social media. The map was also published in leaflets distributed by the army in the Gaza Strip.
The number of blocks reached more than 2,300 small blocks, and the civilian population was informed to pay attention to them and save them individually for consideration related to “ requirements of the next phase of the war. The Israeli army spokesman for the Arab media, Avichay Adraee, told Al-Hurra website that the numbers on the map represent residential neighborhoods, and residents of a certain neighborhood may be asked to evacuate and go to another neighborhood. He added, "Each number indicates a neighborhood known to its residents," stressing that "the goal is to prevent evacuation to distant areas, and for displacement to occur from one neighborhood to another for temporary periods."
Former Pentagon official David De Roche explained that dividing an area into “blocks” is similar to what soldiers call “battlefield engineering.” This process allows the field of operations to be planned in a unified and coherent manner, and its application is also related to "disaster relief operations," as the former military official told the Al-Hurra website. Des Roches believes that the battlefield of the attack on Manila (the capital of the Philippines) in 1945 is very similar to what is happening now in Gaza, and what the Israeli army is trying to implement. He continues, "Dividing the blocks makes it easier to control movement and increase manpower and logistics services on the ground in a controlled manner."
But military expert and retired colonel, Khaled Hamadeh, believes that Israel is trying to say through the “blocks” that it is adopting a different model of fighting other than the one it followed in the northern Gaza Strip, which led to destruction and a change in Western support, due to its committing of massacres. Hamada does not believe that the division into sectors is “actual on the ground.” He told Al-Hurra website, asking: “If civilians are asked to evacuate one of the squares, where will they go? What is the method and who gives the signal to launch the operation when the civilians finish going to safe areas?”
“Talk and division have no practical value and are inhumane,” and the retired colonel considers that “Israel is trying to respond to America’s request that if it resumes its operations, it must take into account the protection of civilians and specify the area it will attack and the goals it wants to achieve.”
The British Financial Times reported that Israel is planning a military campaign against Hamas that will extend for a year or more, with the most intense phase of the ground offensive continuing until early 2024. Citing a number of people familiar with the preparations, the newspaper explained that the multi-stage strategy envisions an imminent incursion by Israeli forces, stationed inside northern Gaza, deep into the south of the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Financial Times, citing a high-ranking Israeli military official, reported that the Israeli army still considers operations in the northern Gaza Strip incomplete. The Israeli military official said that Gaza City has not been completely conquered yet, as it has only been completed by 40%. He added that for the northern Gaza Strip, it may take two weeks to a month, explaining that the ground attack on southern Gaza will take place in parallel with the operations in the north.
The objectives, according to the British newspaper, include the killing of three senior Hamas leaders: Yahya Al-Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, and Marwan Issa, while achieving a decisive military victory against the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, and destroying the underground tunnel network. A person familiar with Israeli war plans said, "This will be a very long war... We are not even close to halfway to achieving our goals." The sources said that Israel's comprehensive strategy towards Gaza is flexible, in terms of reconciling operational progress on the ground, international pressure and opportunities to free the Israeli hostages.
It is possible that the renewed ground operation will require a few more months, with the entry of the new year, according to estimates by those familiar with Israeli military preparations, and one of them said: “It will not take weeks, but rather more.” After that, there will be a “transition and stabilization” phase in which hostilities will decrease, which could last until late 2024, with the location of Israeli ground forces unclear during this phase.
Unlike previous Israeli military operations and wars, one Israeli official noted that there will be no fixed end point. He said: “The referee will not blow his whistle and it will be over.” According to the British newspaper's sources, Israel has so far refused to discuss the possibility of transferring control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian National Authority.
Al Jazeera's military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, suggested that the occupation army would resort to a double simultaneous attack on the northern and southern Gaza Strip , at a time when he stressed that the areas that the occupation did not enter in Gaza are the nest egg of the “ Al-Qassam Brigades ,” the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement “ Hamas .”
Al-Duwairi confirmed that the Israeli bombing after the end of the temporary truce affected various areas of the Gaza Strip. He stressed that what is coming is more difficult, harsher, and broader in scope, "and we must expect a stage of escalation that will lead to one of the two ways out: either a harsh pressure card to return to the negotiating table on acceptable terms, or an expansion of the military framework."
The military expert based his prediction of the “worst scenario” of a full attack on the Gaza Strip, based on the warnings that the occupation army sent to Khan Yunis, saying that it was a “dangerous combat zone,” and most of its residents demanded that they flee to the city of Rafah in the far south.
He pointed out that the defensive plan of the resistance elements in Khan Yunis was tested only once before the start of the ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip, and said that the Al-Qassam Brigades did a good job at that time in confronting an invading Israeli force and leaving it dead and wounded.
He expected the occupation to focus on the city of Khan Yunis in the south because it is the largest in area, likely entering it through its two sides with the aim of separating it from Rafah, as well as from Deir al-Balah and the camps in the central region, and “then developing operations if it achieves success.”
He stressed that these southern areas need intensive bombardment to flatten the land before entering by land, but at the same time he doubted that the Israeli attack there would be the same as it was in the north.
Regarding the possibility of the return of Israeli military vehicles to Gaza and its north, Al-Duwairi explained that the occupation withdrew its equipment from most areas and squares before the temporary truce took effect to rehabilitate and equip it near the fence, and some of it was stationed inside the Gaza envelope. He added that entering the areas into which he had penetrated again is not easy, but it will not be as difficult as the first stage after overcoming some obstacles, and he stressed that he is talking here about freedom of movement and not the nature of resistance.
Al-Duwairi believes that the Israeli operations require two months, not a month, as a senior Israeli military official told the Financial Times newspaper, attributing this to the fact that some areas of Gaza were entered by the occupation within 24 hours, most of which are empty agricultural areas such as Juhr al-Dik. According to the newspaper, the Israeli military official believes that it takes two weeks to a month for the northern Gaza Strip, and that only 40% of Gaza City has been completed because operations in the northern region are incomplete and have not been completed yet.
In this context, Al-Duwairi said that the incomplete operations are the difficult areas, which are Baydat Al-Qabban and the strike forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, especially in the Al-Tuffah area and Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Salah Al-Din Street.
Shadi Abdel Hafez, writing for Al Jazeera, noted there is a big difference between penetrating an area of land and preserving or occupying it. Entering the city during war is (relatively) easy, but staying in it is very complicated. Hence, the details of urban warfare serve the Qassams, not the occupation, as theorists know. Military personnel consider defense to be the strongest tactical position in urban warfare, because it takes much greater force to attack and defeat forces located within urban terrain, and because many physical structures provide immediate defensive positions of excellent military quality.
There are five types of defensive battle sites known to Qassam soldiers as every army in the world knows them. The first is the primary site, which is a site located on the road likely to be crossed by the enemy coming from afar. As for the alternative site, it is a defensive site designated by the commander so that the soldiers move to it when it becomes the primary site.
The third type is supplementary sites, which are sites within the area of operations that provide the best fire strike positions and defensive terrain along a road other than the main road through which the enemy is expected to attack. As for the fourth type, they are the subsequent sites that the unit expects to move to later during the course of the battle.
Finally, the fifth type appears, which is “strong point” sites. In military tactics, a "strong point" is defined as a point in a defensive combat position that can take different forms, but the basic condition is that it should not be easily crossed or avoided. Therefore, ideally, the defensive terrain of a strongpoint is usually better, and is surrounded by obstacles that prevent the advance of attacking forces. And in cities, as you can notice, it is very present.
The urban terrain is to the advantage of Qassam Brigades commanders, as they can find distinct areas for the five sites mentioned above, and if the Qassam forces lose a strong defensive point, they can quickly find next strong points, and thus the war is more like moving from house to house. Strong points play a decisive role in maintaining defensive positions, and are difficult to overcome, and they at least prolong the battle and cause great losses among the attackers (occupation). In addition, many buildings are built using steel-reinforced concrete, which makes them impervious to many. Of weapons and military penetration tactics.
The supply lines for the defenders, which are almost zero in length, as the Qassams can store resources inside closed rooms close to the combat sites. In addition, the urban terrain reduces the capabilities of the attackers in the fields of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as UAVs, for example, cannot penetrate walls to identify resistance tools and movements in specific areas and guide the occupation forces to them.
In the end, the defender can see the incoming attacker and engage him, because the attacker has limited cover. In contrast, despite all the technology possessed by the most advanced armies in the world, in an attack on a city, crossing the street can pose one of the greatest risks to the lives of the attacking soldiers. This is what actually happens in northern Gaza, where occupation soldiers cross the street through armored vehicles or tanks, or perhaps by passing from house to house by blowing up walls and making holes in them. But not all the streets are the same width, and the soldier must eventually get off his armor to pass through one of the squares.
Add to that a very important point in this context. Although advance missile strikes can benefit the attacking army by reducing the strength of the defenders before entering the city, the urban terrain destroyed by these strikes creates a greater obstacle to the attacking ground forces, as they do not pass through them easily even with the presence of the most powerful bulldozers, in addition to providing irregular points where the Qassamists can hide and hunt the occupation soldiers.
All of this comes supported by an important weapon that frees the resistance soldiers from the constraints of geography, which are the Gaza tunnels, which alone are considered one of the most powerful tools in this war. They are a complex network of tunnels with a number of entry and exit openings. Firstly, they represent an important tool for piercing the pincers that the occupying state is making around northern Gaza. Thus, supplying Al-Qassam soldiers with equipment remains possible even with the siege. Of course, the tunnels provide the advantage of safe movement for resistance soldiers, and most importantly of all, they can surprise the enemy and strike him with a fatal blow, giving him no chance of survival, escape, or confrontation.
In parallel with all of this, the Al-Qassam Brigades are reaping the fruits of their investments in light weapons and sniper rifles in particular, as they know that the final conflict will take place inside the city, and no matter how advanced technology is, a single sniper can be equivalent to an entire force if he uses his equipment appropriately and chooses multiple, strong positioning areas.
In 2014, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that it had manufactured a sniper rifle that it confirmed had a lethal range of up to two kilometers. It called it the “Ghoul.” In a video published by the Brigades, sniping operations were shown against Israeli army soldiers with this “Ghoul” rifle. In 2018, it released Hamas took pictures of Israeli soldiers in the range of its snipers. The bullets were never fired at that time, but the picture was intended to clarify that the occupation soldiers were always in the range of Hamas snipers.
During the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, a spokesman for the Israeli occupation army told Agence France-Presse that Hamas snipers opened fire on observation points spread along the breached security fence. Day after day, resistance soldiers are developing their capabilities in this area, simply because it is considered a striking force in wars. Urban area.
One of the most famous examples at this range is the 1942 Battle of Stalingrad, where snipers proved particularly effective, killing hundreds of attacking German troops. Soviet snipers mastered the use of urban terrain and developed new tactics such as using old barrel positions to hide and striking from unpredictable areas.
Shadi Abdel Hafez added to that another important point, which is that the resistance possesses superior knowledge of the region, unlike the occupation soldiers. This knowledge includes everything, from the smallest gates to the places to jump from building to building, and accordingly, this knowledge provides them with a very important characteristic, which is the ability to surprise the enemy. We see this clearly in the Al-Qassam videos, where a resistance soldier appears from almost nowhere to strike an armored vehicle or tank from the side, even at a distance smaller than the range of the launcher, which has a very significant impact on the effectiveness of the missile.
It even reaches the point where resistance soldiers are able to reach the tank or armored vehicle directly and place an explosive device on it, simply because every place in the city is a potential source of danger for the occupation soldiers, and this alone is enough to afflict many of them with terror and suspicion, so things like a simple fall of a piece of rock become Or the rustle of trees on the side of the road to red lights flashing everywhere.
This explains the destruction of a relatively large number of Israeli military vehicles in Gaza by the resistance forces. The number reached more than 335 tanks, armored vehicles, and bulldozers before the truce. Satellite images even showed a clear decrease in the presence of military vehicles in northern Gaza as the operations progressed. military occupation.
In the ambushes prepared in advance, where the resistance soldiers intensify the defense at a specific point to prevent the enemy from passing through it, so he is forced to change his route to another point that the resistance fighters intended to direct him to, because it was mined with explosive devices, or the resistance soldiers took excellent positions there. To hit passing tanks at their weak points.
One of the most famous examples in this context is the ambushes prepared by the Chechens in advance in the war in 1994 and 1995 when the Russians entered Grozny, where the soldiers took dead positions in relation to tank shells and thus neutralized their power, showering the Russian soldiers with fire.
Likewise, the Al-Qassam Brigades were able, in more than one place, to drag Israeli forces to pre-prepared points and target their vehicles with missiles with greater ease. Examples of ambushes used by the Al-Qassam Brigades were booby-trapping an area in advance and blowing it up while military vehicles were passing by, and luring soldiers into a pre-prepared house and then showering it with bullets and missiles.
In the end, even with the technical difference, the attacking occupation forces must enter all buildings and rooms systematically to eliminate Qassam threats, so basic tactics for urban warfare (in any setting) include searching each room individually, breaching doors, and using combat techniques. From a close distance.
In this context, technology becomes completely restricted, and the soldier in armor must eventually reveal himself to face another soldier, and in a street that the Merkava cannot enter and which advanced marches cannot completely clear, the Qassamians get a largely equal battle, and they exploit it to strike the enemy militarily. And psychologically.
Shadi Abdel Hafez concludued Hamas's strategic planners know that the battle is unequal, and that the enemy is advanced technologically and in the number of soldiers and has stable supply lines, but the resistance soldiers are not fighting an ordinary battle, but rather an irregular war that aims to inflict the greatest possible losses, and slowing the occupation's advance alone is considered a victory. Because it greatly affects the political decision in Tel Aviv, and even the entire world’s view of the issue, something that is becoming clearer day after day.
The shooting operation carried out by two Palestinian resistance fighters resulted, according to official Israeli figures, in the killing of 3 settlers and the injury of 12 others. The Israeli authorities stated that 3 settlers were killed instantly, and published video clips documenting the operation. But it turned out that the clips did not show the whole truth, as it later appeared that two Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Jewish settler, and his pleas and screams that he was Israeli did not help.
It was this settler who initially opened fire on the Palestinian attackers. Initially, Netanyahu praised the soldiers and settler for killing the attackers. In the same context, Ben Gvir said that the decision to distribute weapons to the settlers was correct. He considered that the attack demonstrates "how important the policy of distributing weapons is, and despite the criticism from various parties, I will continue this policy of distributing weapons everywhere (...)."
The two officials did not mention anything about serious errors in the operation. There were moments when the Israeli settler pleaded with the two soldiers, and they could distinguish his condition, but they continued to shoot. The family of settler Yuval Castleman (37 years old) used the word “execution” to describe how the two soldiers killed their son, according to the Times of Israel newspaper. The family stated that no Israeli officials have yet officially spoken to them.
Bystanders
A spokesperson for the Rafah border crossing said the entrance of trucks carrying much-needed aid had stopped due to the resumption of Israeli strikes. Various data confirm that the number of trucks that entered the Gaza Strip did not come close to the daily needs of the Palestinians there, in light of the war of starvation to which they were subjected throughout the days of the war, after closing the crossings with the occupied territories, bombing bakeries, preventing basic materials, and preventing farmers from reaching their lands.
International and Western reactions continued denouncing the failure to extend the temporary truce that lasted 7 days between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed his regret at the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip. Guterres posted on the “X” platform that he deeply regrets the return of military operations in the Gaza Strip. He added that engaging in hostilities highlights the importance of reaching a true ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. He added, "There remains hope for the possibility of renewing the humanitarian truce, which was previously agreed upon and lasted for several days."
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, described the end of the truce as “catastrophic” and urged all parties to ensure adherence to the ceasefire. In a statement, Türk urged "all parties and countries with influence to immediately redouble efforts to ensure a ceasefire on humanitarian and human rights grounds."
For its part, the United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF ) called for the implementation of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, describing failure to do so as "consent to the killing of children." “A permanent ceasefire must be implemented,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters via video from Gaza. He added, "Inaction is, in essence, consent to the killing of children."
On the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference “COP28” held in Dubai, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for the resumption of the truce. She considers "its ending to be very bad and unfortunate news because it does not provide any solution and complicates the settlement of all the issues raised." The minister told reporters, "We demand the resumption of the truce. It is necessary to continue the release of hostages who have been living for 55 days in very difficult conditions, as well as to bring in more humanitarian aid and be able to distribute it inside the Gaza Strip, where the civilian population is suffering."
She added that resuming the truce is also necessary "to continue thinking about the next day. We have to do it now to restore the political horizon." She called "to return concrete discussions to the table on how to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and achieve a solution for two states living in peace and security," considering that "this is the only viable solution, and we know it and we must continue working on it." It is noteworthy that French President Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of the climate conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog.
A member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a member of the Egyptian Association for the United Nations, Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, responded to Israel’s promotion of the idea of displacing the Palestinian people to other countries. Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan said in response to the Israeli “Israel Hayom” report, which revealed a new plan linking the provision of large financial aid to a number of Arab countries, led by Egypt, in exchange for accepting refugees from Gaza, and linking the displacement of Palestinians to the Syrians who left their homeland and were hosted by countries. Arab countries and other countries around the world said that this proposal is far from reality, indicating that it is a proposal that can be described as “off the field.” He continued: “Egypt will not accept, and the Egyptian army will not accept, that anyone seize part of Egyptian territory. The former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister criticized the likening of the displacement of Palestinians to what happened with the Syrian people, indicating that this is a misleading idea, indicating that Syria is a different situation, as Syria is a homeland.” "There is, and any citizen who left has the right to return to his country at any time." He pointed out that: “As soon as the situation in Syria stabilizes, the Syrians in Egypt will return to their country, and those in Turkey have already begun to return,” indicating that what happened to the Syrians is not forced displacement as “they want to portray it,” but rather an escape from combat zones, noting that there is a misleading mentality by likening Syria to what is happening in Gaza. What is happening in Gaza is a racist settler-colonial state, while what is happening in Syria is a conflict through regional states fighting by proxy and a conflict between the opposition and the regime, but the state exists and its borders are known." Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan stressed that the Israeli displacement project began since the era of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and aims to displace the largest number of Palestinians in the West Bank to Jordan and other countries, and to displace the population of the Gaza Strip to Sinai and other countries. He revealed that in 2008, Israel advanceda project with Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, to grant Egypt 600 km2 adjacent to the Gaza Strip to transfer the Palestinians to, in exchange for Egypt getting 600 km2 in the Negev Desert next to the “Al-Awja” area. But this proposal was completely and categorically rejected. Then Israel came back and presented the proposal again in The year 2014, but Egypt also rejected it categorically. But Israel thought that, in light of the circumstances of the war on the Gaza Strip, it would forcibly displace the residents of the Gaza Strip to Sinai, as they announced at first, and then they said to any other country. He explained that everything that is happening is thinking about a settler-colonial process that does not take into account the practical reality, noting that the practical reality indicates that Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were outside the Gaza Strip returned to the border in order to return to the Gaza Strip, in order to defend their land and reassure themselves of the safety of their families. The Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes to northern Gaza returned and refused to leave and established camps in place of their destroyed homes, because the Palestinian leadership in Gaza and the West Bank considered the process of displacement as the liquidation of the Palestinian cause. Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan pointed out that Egypt and Jordan rejected all the offers that were made in this matter, whatever they were, and they were rejected and are still and will continue to be rejected categorically. Everything Israel says and some of what some members of the US Congress are repeating, “not the US Congress itself,” are only suggestions, indicating Until the current US President Joe Biden, when he was a member of the US Congress during the US invasion of Iraq, proposed dividing Iraq into 3 countries, they act in what they have no right to in a way that has settlement arrogance that is completely unacceptable, and therefore they say what they want, but all of this is “off the field.” Egypt will not Accept and the Egyptian army will not accept that anyone cut off part of Egyptian territory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tried to defuse tensions with Israel during a call with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz. Sanchez said he reaffirmed to Gantz that Israel is a partner and friend of Spain. “Israel has the right to defend itself against this terrorist attack, but I reaffirmed that Spain finds the death of civilians in Gaza unbearable and that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law,” Sanchez wrote on X. Gantz also said on X that he had emphasised to Sanchez the “terrorist Hamas must be dismantled in Gaza.” In an interview, Sanchez said he doubted Israel respected international humanitarian law due to the high death toll in the war. Israel slammed the comments, summoned Spain’s ambassador and recalled its envoy from Madrid for consultations.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faulted his US counterpart for apathy towards the “genocide” in Gaza despite Washington’s influence on Israel.
Axis of Resistance
Tehran's Friday preacher, Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad Jawad Haj Ali Akbari, confirmed : Operation " Al-Aqsa Flood " is the beginning of the removal of American hegemony, and this is the most important achievement of this operation, not only for the Muslims, the Palestinians, or the region, but for the entire world, and a strong slap in the face was delivered to America.
Hojjat al-Islam Akbari added: On the one hand, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation is in itself a miracle, and on the other hand, we are witnessing the brutality of the Zionist entity that has exceeded all limits, and at the same time we are witnessing the resistance of the people of Gaza, whom we do not know what words can describe it. We appreciate it. He continued, saying: During this war, we witnessed a coordinated presence of the resistance front alongside the Palestinian people, from the heroic people of Yemen to the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Syrian resistance to Iran, which stood like a mountain behind this axis of resistance and surprised everyone.
Hojjat al-Islam Akbari added: During In this war, the level of impudence, and of course the terrorism of the Americans and Zionists increased, and the level of zealotry of officials of some Islamic countries, who were not even ready to sever relations with the Zionist entity, increased, and they rarely participated in meetings about Gaza.
Tehran’s Friday preacher added: It must be said: The weakness of the character of some international organizations appeared in this war, as they were ineffective in preventing war crimes committed by the Zionist entity. At the same time, it also reinforced the appearance of the fragility of the Zionist entity’s strength and internal weakness, and the whole world witnessed this.
He added: The Zionist entity emphasized in its imagination the displacement of the people of Gaza, the destruction of Hamas, and the return of the prisoners through a military attack and not through negotiations, but we saw that none of its goals were achieved, and after the negotiations with Hamas, the prisoner exchange process took place.
The commander of the Cyber and New Threats Unitat the central headquarters of the Seal of the Prophets (PBUH) confirmed that the culture of martyrdom has an impact on the resistance of the Palestinian people. Major General Mustafa Yazdi said in his speech on Thursday during the ceremony commemorating the martyr Behrouz Turkashvand, one of the martyrs of the Sacred Defense (1980-1988): Today, the influence of the culture of martyrdom and its red color can be seen in the heroic resistance of the oppressed people of Palestine, the Gaza Strip, and the Qassam Brigades that covered the entity in the dirt. The Zionist is a child killer. He stressed: We are subject to the blood of the martyrs, and as long as we resort to the culture of sacrifice and martyrdom, the enemy cannot touch the homeland.
Ayatollah Hussein Nouri Hamedani, one of the religious authorities in the holy city of Qom, stressed the necessity of uniting the ranks of Islamic countries, forming a unified resistance front, and adopting a military formation against the Zionist entity. During his meeting with Hojjat al-Islam Muhammad al-Haidari, head of the ideological guidance affairs of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani said : The Zionist entity has not stopped committing any crime against the defenseless people of Gaza, and international organizations have adopted a policy of silence and support for this brutal entity, and Here, the unity of the ranks of the Islamic countries, the formation of the unified front for resistance, and the adoption of the military formation have become more tangible than ever before.
He pointed out the importance of Ayatollah Al-Sistani’s fatwa in the formation of the Popular Mobilization Forces and praised their sincere and dedicated efforts and their faithful cadres, and pointed to the noble verse, “O you who have believed, if you support God, He will help you and make your feet firm.” He said: Today the enemy is trying to force us to submit to him to prevent any movement and rebellion against his interests. Although this is a false illusion, we must always be vigilant, develop our capabilities and address our weaknesses.
He said: Although the ceasefire (between the Palestinian resistance and the Zionist entity) represents a great opportunity to meet the basic needs of the oppressed people of Gaza, we should not ignore the trick and conspiracy of the Zionist enemy, because it does not adhere to any moral and humanitarian principles and violates the ceasefire and continues to occupy and build settlements.
He continued: The entity that targets women, children, the elderly, ambulances, hospitals, medical centers, and even journalists, is an illegal entity and cannot be trusted in any way.
Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani said: The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces is one of the most vigilant elements of the axis of resistance, which was formed with the fatwa of the religious authority and the support of the Iraqi people and achieved progress under the guidance of leaders such as the martyr Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. We will stand with you because we have a common enemy. Today, as the global arrogant regime has risen against Islam and its standards, we must rise up against it by relying on the Holy Qur’an, Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah, and Nahj al-Balagha.
This prominent professor at the Qom Seminary continued to emphasize the importance and necessity of following the authority and added: The issue of following the authority is very important, and one of the points that should not be overlooked is spreading and strengthening the culture of martyrdom because it is the source that always pulsates with truth and perfection.
At the beginning of this meeting, Hojjat al-Islam al-Haidari explained the role of the religious authority, the martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani, and the martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in forming and consolidating the Popular Mobilization Forces, and explained the goals and future plans of this resistance axis force.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says "Tel Aviv" and Washington's continued war on Gaza means a new genocide. Amir-Abdollahian commented on the resumption of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, calling out the US-Israeli aggression as a "new genocide in Gaza." Amir-Abdollahian said in his post that the only way the Israelis can free their captives is through "an open-ended ceasefire, the extensive delivery of humanitarian aid, and agreement on fresh exchange of prisoners."
The captives, Iran's Foreign Minister explained, are not being released through "Israel's" aggression, rather they are dying in Israeli strikes. Furthermore, he qualified the continuation of the "Washington and Tel Aviv war" on Gaza and the West Bank as a "new genocide". Regarding the presence of US aircraft carriers in the region, the Iranian top diplomat said these warships are "not terminators", rather the terminator is "Palestinian willpower and dedication."
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian commended Yemen's solidarity with the Palestinian people during a period of escalated Israeli aggression. The top Iranian diplomat visited the Yemeni Embassy in Tehran to express the Islamic Republic's appreciation for Sanaa's support. "Yemen's support for the people of Gaza [Strip] and the [occupied] West Bank is admirable," remarked Amirabdollahian during his meeting with Yemeni Ambassador Ibrahim Mohammed al-Dailami.
"We consider defending the people of Palestine and Gaza to be our duty, and will continue supporting Palestine as long as it is necessary," affirmed the Yemeni envoy. He further stated, "The decision by the [Yemeni] leaders in Sanaa towards targeting the Zionist regime's interests in the occupied territories and at sea is in line with our strong belief in defending the people of Gaza." On the same day, Yemen's Armed Forces released a statement, vowing to resume attacks against Israeli targets if the regime recommenced its assault on Gaza.
Yemeni troops are prepared to broaden their attacks against Israeli targets, extending to the Zionist regime's interests in the occupied territories and at sea. The statement reiterates that military operations will cease once the Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza completely stops. The Yemeni Armed Forces, as previously declared, will persist in preventing Israeli vessels from cruising in the Red Sea waters and will take additional measures to ensure the effective implementation of this step. The statement also calls on Muslim nations and people worldwide to support Palestinians in their liberation struggle.
Israeli and international outlets paid particular attention to public statements that had been made by Yahya al-Sinwar, who warned Israel of an upcoming flood in December 2022. "We will come to you, God willing, in a roaring flood. We will come to you with endless rockets, we will come to you in a limitless flood of soldiers, we will come to you with millions of our people, like the repeating tide," Yahya al-Sinwar, the President of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, said in an address on December 14, 2022. Reuters, highlighted al-Sinwar's remarks, saying that the Resistance leader planned for the October 7 attack on Israeli positions, in plain sight.
In the same context, the Israeli Jerusalem Post, citing unnamed security sources, said that Al-Qassam Brigades leader, Mohammad Deif, and al-Sinwar were aware of close Israeli spying and used alternative methods to communicate messages. "No one understood this, not Aman (Military Intelligence), not the Shin Bet, nor the Mossad," a security official told JP. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have left the border unguarded, with no basic response from the ground or air."
The Israeli media outlet, citing a security source, said that the Palestinian Resistance faction conducting "a perfect deception exercise," in preparation for the October 7, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. The newspaper also pointed to a failed Israeli forces attempt to install tapping devices in "Hamas strongholds," however the IOF were discovered in Khan Younis, failing their mission. Hamas was able to capture some of the devices left behind and decode them to discover their surveillance techniques.
The former Egyptian Consul to Tel Aviv, Ambassador Rifaat Al-Ansari, revealed the main objectives of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, which was carried out by the Al-Qassam Brigades, stressing that detaining the settlers was not a goal within the plan. Al-Ansari confirmed during television statements that the operation originally had three goals, the first of which was entering the Eret crossing, where the Shin Bet headquarters is located, and which contains a lot of information about their agents inside Gaza and in Palestine.
The former Egyptian consul added that two officers had been captured, and they took with them all the computers, documents and documents related to intelligence information from the Gaza Strip, and they left after 3 hours, noting that the operation began at six-thirty in the morning, while it ended at nine.
He explained that the second goal is to penetrate the headquarters of Unit 8200, which is located in the southern sector, and specializes in spying on Arab countries and Iran, especially the file on the Iranian nuclear program and Israeli agents, and this is extremely important intelligence information.
The former Egyptian ambassador indicated that two officers, specialists in cyber espionage, and two soldiers were captured during that operation as well, and they were taken with all the items related to intelligence information, computers, documents, and papers. He explained that before 10 o’clock in Gaza, all items related to intelligence information, computers, documents, and records were captured. Information was sent outside Palestine, and there were meetings in Beirut, Lebanon.
He continued that the third goal of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was to storm the Nisreen Al-Najil military base, which includes the leadership of the southern sector, the command of the armed forces, the Israeli forces and the southern sector, and it was also accomplished, indicating that there were plans and complete information in this base about the Gaza Strip, and about Military plans for emergency situations were taken along with computers and so on.
He concluded in this context, explaining that the arrest of the settlers was a reward. After successfully implementing the three goals, this operation was a reward when they found the Israeli security and its agencies unaware of the time.
Bloomberg said that the Palestinians’ celebrations of the release of prisoners by the Israeli occupation authorities witnessed the spread of green Hamas flags among the crowds and young men wearing green hats, noting that this is “the latest sign of the movement’s increasing popularity in the West Bank.” The newspaper stated that the pledge of the Israeli occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu , to completely destroy Hamas “seems an unattainable goal,” as the movement’s heavily armed fighters are entrenched in tunnels extending hundreds of miles under Gaza.
Bloomberg says that the biggest problem facing Netanyahu is the support enjoyed by Hamas in the occupied West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas. The newspaper says that interviews with dozens of Palestinians indicate that the events witnessed in the past eight weeks have strengthened Hamas’ position and weakened the “more moderate” Abbas administration, as it puts it.
The newspaper quoted former Palestinian Minister Ghassan Al-Khatib, who is today a lecturer at Birzeit University, as saying, “Hamas in the West Bank has become more popular, more important, and more powerful, and in return the Palestinian Authority has become more marginalized and less popular.” He continued, “You cannot eliminate Hamas. “As long as the political root is not addressed, these rounds of violence will continue.”
A poll published in November the Arab World Research and Development Group, a Palestinian opinion polling group, found that 83% of 391 participants in the West Bank supported what the Palestinian resistance did in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The deputy head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, announced, “We are ready to begin a new truce in the civilian file to exchange the elderly under specific conditions,” speaking about the reasons that hindered the extension of the truce. Al-Hayya said: “We presented several proposals to exchange prisoners with the occupation. We released 85 women and children during the period of the temporary truce,” noting that “we did not raise the issue of detained female soldiers, but they maliciously handed the mediators a list of names of all female soldiers, and they refused to deal with the release of elderly Palestinian prisoners versus detained elderly.”
He stressed, "We were ready to deal with three proposals regarding the exchange, but the occupation refused to deal with them, and rejected our request to release the editors of the Shalit deal in exchange for the release of the bodies of the Bibas family," indicating, "We were in contact with the mediators until this morning, but the talk about a truce ended when it began bBombing." He added: "I do not have a specific number of detainees, and there must be normal conditions to reach their number," declaring, "We are ready to begin a new truce in the civilian file to exchange the elderly under specific conditions."
Hayya stressed that "the enemy suffered thousands of deaths and injuries among its soldiers and hundreds of military vehicles due to the steadfastness of the resistance," noting that "the occupation launched its aggression today from Rafah, south of Gaza, to Beit Hanoun, north of it, and no area was spared from the bombing."
Yeni Safak newspaper published an article by Turkish writer and academic Yasin Aktay in which he praised the Al- Qassam Brigades and described their combat performance as heroic, and their treatment of Israeli detainees with humanity that surpassed Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees. Aktay pointed out that Israel has not abandoned its status as an immoral and illegal “terrorist” entity, but rather has demonstrated this more strongly than ever before.
He added that the scenes that occurred during the exchange of detainees provided an opportunity for the world to compare between the Qassam Brigades and the Israeli occupation forces, pointing out that Israel arrests children, even those who are 12 years old. He said, on the other hand, that every prisoner released by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) turns into a wonderful media legend for it and its military wing. Al-Qassam Brigades. He continued to say that the treatment of the Israeli detainees did not appear to be an exception or the individual behavior of one or two people, but rather was a carefully considered and principled treatment by all Al-Qassam members and all detainees without discrimination, which indicates that it is a committed application of the great morals of Islam even in a state of war.
He commented on the footage of the handover of Israeli detainees, saying that every prisoner bid farewell to the Al-Qassam men as if they were friends who parted ways, as happens in the movies, due to the excessive treatment of them during detention, not to mention the torture and abuse. Thus, Hamas and Al-Qassam achieved a moral victory, while Israel continued to suffer successive defeats.
The writer addressed the hypothesis that there is no place for heroism in contemporary wars governed by the advanced technological defense industry, and said that the Qassam Brigades, as a small human group with very limited capabilities that can withstand the world’s most technologically advanced armies, have completely abolished this hypothesis and buried it with what was buried underneath the flood of her great heroism.
He added that the Qassam's penetration of Iron Dome and its steadfastness for 50 days against the violent and immoral attacks by Israel provided a unique and exceptional example of heroism, and that the ingenuity, courage and audacity demonstrated by the Qassam soldiers, who chased the legendary high-tech tanks with their relatively simple weapons and explosives during the ground attack. In Gaza , the most obvious manifestations of heroism were evident.
Aktai went on to say that Al-Qassam’s heroics would have cascading effects on the entire world, as they destroyed Israel’s image and dispelled the atmosphere of despair that saw no possibility of change in the unjust Zionist-capitalist world system.
He stated that the nobility, politeness, and dignity that Al-Qassam soldiers demonstrated while releasing each detainee proved that their heroism was not a mere coincidence and was not an isolated incident, but rather had special roots for heroes dating back to their Islamic formation, thus conveying the greatness of Islam and its true message to the entire world and erasing the distorted images that The Islamophobia industry has been trying to spread it for years with products like ISIS.
Abu Imad al-Rifai, a leader in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement from Beirut, confirmed that the Israeli occupation, by not continuing the truce, wants to complete what it began in the process of systematic destruction in the entire Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Al-Rifai pointed out that the occupation began its aggression in the northern Gaza Strip area , and is now waging its aggression against the southern Gaza Strip, which is a clear policy of working to displace the Palestinian people , taking the green light from the American administration through the visit of the American Secretary of State.
Al-Rifai noted that the American administration seeks, along with the Zionist entity, to displace the Palestinians and subjugate the Palestinian people, and to work to eliminate the resistance as they imagine, stressing that the Israeli occupation does not want to release its prisoners, but rather wants to destroy what remains of the Gaza Strip and displace our people in the Gaza Strip to Sinai.
Allied for Democracy
Statement by the PM's Office: "The Hamas-ISIS terrorist organization has violated the outline. It has not met its obligation to release all of the women hostages today and has launched rockets at Israeli citizens. Upon the resumption of fighting, we emphasize: The Government of Israel is committed to achieving the goals of the war: Releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel."
The American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" revealed a plan by Israel to assassinate the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas". The newspaper reported, citing Israeli officials, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intelligence agencies to develop plans to assassinate senior Hamas leaders who live outside Gaza “anywhere in the world.” According to the newspaper, “some called on Israel to assassinate Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas abroad, and others immediately” after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation last October 7, which the movement carried out against Israel. It pointed out that "doing so on Qatari or Turkish territory could have led to tension or torpedoed diplomatic efforts to liberate the prisoners, which led to the postponement of the idea." While the WSJ pointed out that “assassination operations abroad can violate international law and are exposed to the risk of backlash from the countries in which the operation takes place,” it explained that “these fears did not stop Israel in the past, as it had always escaped the negative repercussions of assassination operations abroad”. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Tel Aviv informed Arab countries of its intention to create a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the Gaza Strip border "to prevent future attacks." The newspaper quoted Reuters as saying, "The borders of the region will be demarcated as part of planning for the future of the Gaza Strip at the end of the war."
Reuters reported, citing regional sources, including Egyptian sources, as three of the sources stated that Israel announced these plans to Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. It indicated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had also been informed of the details. For his part, Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Ofir Falk, told Reuters, “The plan is more detailed than that. It is based on a three-stage operation for the day after Hamas.”
A senior Israeli security official said the buffer zone could be "hundreds of meters or a kilometer or two inside Gaza." In mid-November, US President Joe Biden administration officials expressed concern about the idea put forward by former Israeli officials to establish a fortified “buffer zone” in northern Gaza to protect Israel from any future attack.
For his part, Jordanian King Abdullah II reiterated Jordan's rejection of any "scenario or thinking about reoccupying parts of Gaza or establishing buffer zones there, and any attempt to separate the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as they are an extension of the one Palestinian state." In turn, human rights lawyer and fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Zaha Hassan, said that such a proposal would violate international law and “would effectively mean annexing Gaza territory.”
The Israeli newspaper "Israel Hayom" revealed the details of a new Israeli plan to settle Gaza residents outside the Strip "voluntarily" and transfer them to 4 countries. The plan was presented to senior officials from the Democratic and Republican parties in the US House of Representatives and Senate - and received their blessing - and will be promoted immediately after its approval. The plan includes 4 economic initiatives for 4 countries in the region: Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Turkey. The new details that were revealed are proposals to settle the population of the Gaza Strip in Arab countries and various parts of the world. In addition to the plan that was revealed on the “Israel Hayom” website, three other initiatives are now being put forward that allow the public in Gaza to immigrate to other countries, and that All proposals are for voluntary migration only, not forced migration. The US administration announced in the early stages of the war that it would oppose the forced displacement of Gazans from the Strip, but official statements indicate that the government would not oppose voluntary departure. "Israel Hayom" revealed the initiative, publicly sponsored by US Representative Joe Wilson, which stipulates that the United States will condition the continuation of its economic aid to Egypt, Turkey and Yemen on the condition that residents leave Gaza and settle in its lands. The Israeli newspaper had revealed a new plan being prepared by the US Congress linking the provision of large financial aid to a number of Arab countries, led by Egypt, in exchange for accepting refugees from Gaza. The plan details the number of Gazans that each country will receive: one million in Egypt (0.9% of the population there), half a million in Turkey (0.6% of the Turks), 250,000 in Iraq (0.6%), and 250,000 in Yemen (0.75% of the Yemeni population). The plan depends on solving the problem that “Hamas does not allow refugees to leave, and Egypt does not agree to open its borders,” as the initiative’s owner, Joe Wilson [ U.S. representative for South Carolina's 2nd District], said: “The only moral solution is to ensure that Egypt opens its borders and allows refugees to escape from the control of Israel and Hamas, and accordingly the American government offers “Egypt has approximately $1.3 billion in foreign aid, and this money can be allocated to refugees from Gaza who will be allowed to enter Egypt.” He added: "Egypt should not be the only country that receives refugees. Iraq and Yemen receive about a billion dollars in American foreign aid, and Turkey receives more than 150 million dollars. Each of these countries receives enough foreign aid, and has a large enough population." Enough to be able to absorb refugees, who constitute at least 1% of its population.” The initiative's owners call on the American government to allocate financial aid to Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Turkey on the condition that they accept a certain number of refugees. The plan is also working on a third program called “Gaza for the World - The Humanitarian Migration Movement for the Residents of the Gaza Strip,” promoted by Israeli Likud member Amir Whitman. In an interview with the newspaper “Israel Hayom,” Whitman said: “The speech is circulating in the Knesset and among international parties, including the two parties in the United States. There are a lot of sensitivities and complexities, so at the present time people are not speaking publicly, but they are open to ideas, and they must "It should be done gently." According to him, “The more Israel’s interest in this direction becomes clear, the greater its influence on international factors will be.” Controversial Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he met the prime minister and called on him to “cut off” all talks with Hamas and truce negotiators. In a series of tweets on X, the far-right politician welcomed “the return of the released hostages” but said “the idea of a truce has run its course”. “Agreeing to further halt [in fighting] would be a terrible mistake that only conveys weakness… We must sever all ties and negotiations with Hamas and the mediators and look at the enemy only through the sight of a gun,” Smotrich added.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that her country will do everything in its power to resume the truce. In a statement, Baerbock said, "In these minutes, we must do everything we can to continue the truce. The pain cannot be tolerated. This pain must end for the sake of everyone." Germany’s foreign ministry said the international community must do everything in its power to ensure the continuation of the truce in Gaza. Working to ensure that Hamas does not pose a threat to Israel’s existence and that it is disarmed is necessary to end the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis, the foreign ministry said on X. “Of course, that would also mean that Hamas would have to lay down its weapons. Only in this way a political horizon can open up for a two-state solution that can provide security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” it said.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken left Israel for the UAE minutes after the collapse of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the resumption of fighting. Despite efforts made by the US and its mediating partners to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces resumed pounding the enclave, killing more than 100 people. The latest attacks on Gaza come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli officials a day earlier that they must account for the safety of Palestinian civilians before resuming the war.
In remarks from Tel Aviv the previous day, Blinken also said Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza must be allowed to return “when conditions permit”. Blinken said he “made clear the imperative before any operations go forward in southern Gaza there’ll be a clear plan in place that puts a premium on protecting civilians, as well as sustaining and building on humanitarian assistance getting to Gaza”.
The US’s top diplomat said that Israel had agreed to that – but based on the bombing campaign, and the death toll that has accompanied it, there appears to be little difference between Israel’s campaign before and after the truce, with Palestinian civilians continuing to suffer. The US has remained Israel’s top ally and supporter throughout the latest assault on Gaza, and the Biden administration has only gone as far as occasionally softening its language when under pressure to shift its policy amid the rising death toll in Gaza.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said “two factors” are at play regarding the US’s leverage on Israel to extend the truce deal. Serdar explained that US President Joe Biden’s administration is facing growing domestic pressure in electoral swing states where there is a significant amount of Muslim and Arab voters that could affect his re-election bid next year.
In Israel, however, the government is facing its own set of challenges. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for failing to prevent the October 7 attacks, dismissing questions on whether he planned to resign. Serdar said that with the government fighting for its own political survival, “the only country that can put pressure on Israel and stop the war is the US”.
The US has informed Israel that it will impose visa bans in the next few weeks on Israeli settlers engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, according to a senior State Department official quoted by Reuters. During his visit to Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told government officials that the US will take its own action against an undisclosed number of individuals, the report said. sked for a response, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said he had no comment on the matter, but said that Israel firmly condemned any attempts by individuals to take the law into their own hands.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States supplied Israel following the Hamas attack on October 7 with heavy bunker-busting bombs and tens of thousands of ammunition and shells for artillery. The newspaper quoted American officials, who requested to remain anonymous, saying that the United States had provided Israel with about 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery ammunition. Among what was supplied were 100 BLU-109 bunker-buster bombs, weighing about 875 kg. It is noteworthy that the supplies began shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel, and have been continuing in recent days.
The United States did not officially reveal the total amount of weapons and ammunition it provided to Israel. It is noteworthy that Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on Israeli cities and settlements on October 7. After a humanitarian truce was declared to exchange detainees and bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, combat operations resumed in Gaza.
The administration of US President Joe Biden is facing increasing internal opposition due to its support for the Israeli military attack on Hamas in Gaza, which reflects a broader debate in American society and a generational division among Democrats on this issue, according to a report from NBC News. The report quoted former officials as saying that the extraordinary scope of opposition within the administration, including statements in open letters from employees, exceeds anything seen in previous administrations since the 1980s, including during the Iraq War and the restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump on travel from Muslim majority countries.
The violent Israeli bombing of Gaza sparked criticism from humanitarian organizations, and Biden's support for the Israeli response displeased many officials within the federal administration. Hundreds of administration employees signed an open letter to Biden calling on his administration to press for a ceasefire to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians.
Dozens of Foreign Service officials at the US State Department expressed their objection to the administration's handling of the conflict in several official opposition cables, congressional and administration officials say. At the US Agency for International Development, hundreds of employees signed a letter criticizing the administration's approach. In Congress, hundreds of employees organized protests and signed letters demanding a ceasefire and an end to what they consider an American “blank check” to Israel.
The network noted that criticism among US State Department employees did not lead to mass resignations, but there is a feeling that goes beyond age, race, and gender that the Biden administration’s approach to the conflict in Gaza should be more balanced, according to a current State Department official. “Not everyone is calling for the policy change, but they support the shift,” the official told NBC News.
The official added that there is a feeling that Israel should not be able to act with "impunity," and many Foreign Service officials believe that with the rising civilian death toll in Gaza, US aid to Israel should not remain unconditional.
The network says that there is a gap between generations among the administration’s employees, as it quoted sources familiar with the discussion that many of those urging a change in the administration’s policies, but not all of them, are younger employees, including those who work in the American intelligence agencies, and they are the ones who have Greater doubts about Washington's traditionally strong support for Israel.
An informed source told the network: “They have a different point of view than the older generation regarding American foreign policy,” which is “a progressive point of view that believes that the United States has made terrible mistakes and is not always on the right side of history.” The network reported that the war revealed a "stark generational gap" between center-left Americans, and a new network poll showed that 70 percent of Democratic voters between the ages of 18 and 34 disapprove of Biden's handling of the war.
The administration has also come under increasing pressure from Democrats in Congress who have pressured the White House to take a more critical stance on Israel. Although some older senior officials may share concerns raised by fellow employees, they are more reluctant to go public with their criticism, believing they have an obligation to their government agencies to keep internal discussions confidential, some former officials and sources familiar with the discussion told the network.
Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs
Gaza’s Ministry of Health says at least 109 people had been killed since Israel renewed its attacks this morning.
Palestinian armed group Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and deployed its militants to infiltrate Jewish settlements near the country’s border with Gaza on 07 October 2023. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israel’s population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: “Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That’s twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."
It is the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war, as the Palestinian resistance killed more than 1,200, wounded more than 5,132 others, and captured more than 250, most of them military personnel, some of whom were high-ranking officers in the army.
Gaza's health ministry registered the deaths of over 18,000 Palestinians, a major jump from the "about 15,000" reported a few days earlier. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory reports that it had "counted up to this moment about 17,500 dead Palestinians". The count included about 6,150 children killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Press Office said. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The Hamas-run government said more than 4,000 women were among the dead, with more than 36,000 more people wounded [up by 3,000 from the previous report]. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza said the number of missing people had risen to more than 7,000 [nearly double the 3,750 previously reported], including 1,800 children still under the rubble, including 4,700 children and women. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the number of wounded as 36,000 [previously announced as about 32,000 wounded], 75 percent of them children and women.
Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.
The number of Israeli soldiers that the IDF admitted were killed in ground battles with the Palestinian resistance reached 75, while the death toll for the Israel forces had risen to 395 soldiers since the beginning of Operation al-Aqsa Flood. At least 7,771 Israelis were injured.
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed that the number of soldiers who were injured since the start of the war reached about a thousand soldiers, noting that 202 soldiers were seriously injured. The army rarely referred to casualties when talking about the deaths of soldiers during battles. According to the same newspaper, this policy differs from what was prevalent in previous wars and military campaigns, during which the army also published the number of its wounded, in addition to publishing other details. The IDF previously announced that more than 260 soldiers had been injured since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, including 100 in serious condition.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry released its first official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on Gaza.
Hostages
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children,
Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023:
- Hamas still holds 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war
- The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead
- 117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females
- 126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals
- Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen
- Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older. There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack
- Hamas has released 110 hostages so far – 86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of an Israeli woman and her two children who were detained by them as a result of a previous Israeli bombing of Gaza. The Israeli army confirmed the deaths of five hostages held in Gaza, saying their families had been informed, and the body of one of them returned to Israel. “In recent days, the IDF and Israel police notified the families of the hostages Eliyahu Margalit, Maya Goren, Ronen Engel and Arye Zalmanovitz about their deaths,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said. He also said troops had brought back the body of a fifth person that he identified as Ofir Tsarfati. Hagari said Gaza militants were still holding “136 hostages, among them 17 women and children.”
Before the release of the sixth batch of Israelis detained in Gaza, Israeli government spokesman Elon Levy said that 161 Israelis are still detained in the Strip [al-Jazeera reported "more than 100 prisoners" remain with the resistance]. Levy added that Israel has prepared a list of 50 Palestinian detainees to be released if Hamas continues to release detainees. At least 76, and possibly more than 80, hostages had been released by Hamas over six days of a cease-fire. During the pause, Hamas fighters released 60 Israeli women and children. In return, Israel released 180 security detainees from its prisons, all of them women and minors under the age of 19. Hamas also separately released 19 foreign hostages, most of them Thai farm workers, under separate agreements parallel to the truce agreement.
Thirty children held by Gazan terrorists have been released as part of a four-day ceasefire deal with Hamas that began Friday, but 10 still remain in the Strip. The terror group has said it planned to release 20 more hostages as part of a two-day extension to the deal. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration believes eight or nine more Americans are still being held but the U.S. does not have "solid information on each and every one of them." Perhaps 100 are Israeli civilians. Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks.
By one account
- 236 confirmed abducted civilians and IDF soldiers.
- 18 of the abductees are elderly people aged 75 and older.
- 121 of the abductees have foreign citizenship (including dual citizenship).
Conflicting estimates were provided regarding the number of Thai nationals still in captivity. The Wall Street Journal reported 25 November 2023 that Hamas is interested in releasing 23 Thai citizens during the four days of the ceasefire, mediated by Iran. On the other hand, the Thai Foreign Ministry claimed 20 more citizens who are held captive by Hamas, and that four of the ten who were released were not included in the number initially estimated.
ccording to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. “It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.
Since the start of the war on October 7, at least 3,400 people had been detained, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
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