Operation Iron Swords - Day 65 - 10 December 2023

Ccontents

NEW - Operations NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages

s. The war in Gaza has entered its 65th day, as Israeli forces continue to bomb cities and governorates in the north and south of the Strip, amid violent clashes and international fears of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

Al Jazeera broadcast pictures of ground battles in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip , between the Al- Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - and the Israeli occupation army. The Qassam scenes showed observations of an Israeli force on foot near a house, before it was targeted by an anti-personnel missile, which directly hit the Israeli soldiers. Explosive bombs were also dropped on a " Merkava " tank - possibly from a Qassam drone, in addition to targeting various vehicles with anti-armor shells in different fighting axes in the city of Khan Yunis, amid chants of Qassam Brigades fighters.

Users on social media platforms in the Arab world mocked the clips published by the Israeli occupation army of its battles with the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza face-to-face. Since the first days of the Israeli ground attack and its incursion into the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian resistance, led by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Hamas movement, has sought to document its military operations in confronting the invading Israeli forces. The Al-Qassam Brigades published video clips showing its fighters targeting and destroying Israeli tanks and bulldozers from zero distance in Gaza. These clips apparently sparked the anger of the Israeli occupation authorities.

The Israeli army began to deploy its operations inside the besieged sector, including a video published by Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee, who commented on it by saying that it was of face-to-face battles in the heart of Shujaiya, where forces from the anti-terrorism unit, along with the 74th battalion, clashed with a group of Hamas fighters on the grounds of a school. In the heart of the neighborhood. Adraee added that those he described as saboteurs tried to drag the force into an ambush that included gunfire and explosive devices, so the fighters of the Counter-Terrorism Unit eliminated them using fire from the tanks of the 74th Battalion, and the fighters carried out sweeping operations on the school grounds.

As the video spread among tweeters in the Arab world, a state of ridicule prevailed over the footage documented by the Israeli occupation army of its fighters storming Al-Qassam sites and firing bullets at the walls, without any exchange of fire from the other side. Activists described the video as poor production and a wonderful simulation of a fake battle where there is no real goal on the other side, and that the video is only to raise morale, according to what they said. Some tweeters commented on the Israeli videos by saying that they are funny, that they are just films and that there are nothing showing clashes with fighters from the resistance factions, and they added that the occupation army seeks to imitate Hamas in its clips.

Operational Update

Israeli Channel 7 estimates that the war will persist with high intensity for at least two more months.

Israel's Haaretz said that the window is closing down on a swift victory in Khan Younis, as the fighting gets increasingly complex and critical. The newspaper stated that the IDF is having difficulty advancing into the infiltration areas in the Gaza Strip, adding that there seems to be an inconsistency between the war's objectives and the allocated time to achieve them. Haaretz reported that the IDF are currently engaged in three battles simultaneously, facing increasingly stronger Resistance than they've seen in the past.

"The Israeli army hopes to finalize most of its operations within a week, but by then the battle in Khan Younis will have gotten more critical," the newspaper reported. Such developments, according to Haaretz, will make the fighting in the coming weeks more complicated. The newspaper warned Israelis not to get carried away with the promises of an imminent victory advertised by some Israeli TV studios.

The interrogation of the terrorists captured in the last few days in the Gaza Strip reveals that Hamas is losing control over its fighters, especially in the north of the Strip, and that orders are not being followed - this was published this evening (Sunday) in the "Main Edition". Of the detainees, about 40% turn out after questioning to be terrorists or associated with Hamas. In their investigation in the field, some of the terrorists testified that "Khan Younes is being torn apart."

When asked why they handed over their weapons, they replied: "We didn't know what to do, we chose to stop fighting. Our commanders abandoned us. The senior command prefers his survival at our expense. They abandoned us. They promised us a lot of money for the hostages we brought, and they didn't deliver. We lost trust in the commanders."

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced the destruction of an Israeli armored personnel carrier APC in Khan Younis governorate using a Shawaz heavy anti-tank IED, which also resulted in the setting of the military vehicle on fire. In a statement, the Resistance group also said it targeted in the governorate an Israeli Merkava main battle tank using an al-Yassin 105 RPG. Meanwhile, Al-Qassam also announced that they have successfully targeted four Israeli military vehicles with al-Yassin 105 projectiles in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

The al-Qassam Brigades once again documented their usage of drone warfare against the Israeli occupation, wherein a UAV dropped an explosive on an Israeli tank east of Khan Yunis, which seemingly impaired the Israeli vehicle. The Resistance has been mainly attacking the invading Israeli soldiers with anti-armor and anti-tank RPGs, as well as anti-personnel mines and UAVs, not to mention through urban warfare using their knowledge of the terrain and the renowned tunnels at their disposal.

In a significant operation, the Resistance revealed it detonated several explosives in a fortified building housing dozens of Israeli soldiers east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood. The statement confirmed that the unit's soldiers were either killed or wounded. Detailing the execution of the ambush, the statement explained that, after identifying an Israeli occupation force fortified in a school, Al-Qassam fighters planted a network of IEDs within the building, which was later detonated with the invading soldiers inside.

Israeli Channel 13 says the Israeli occupation forces taking control of an area in Gaza does not mean that it is void of al-Qassam Fighters as they continuously pop up out of tunnels in occupied areas. Israeli media has been reporting that the Palestinian Resistance is still carrying out operations against the Israeli occupation forces in areas that the IOF declared military control over.

Israeli Channel 13 military commentator Or Heller said the IOF "declaring military control over an area does not mean it is free of [Resistance fighters]." Heller underlined that one must be very cautious about talking about signs of a breakdown among Hamas' ranks, emphasizing that gaining control of areas does not mean they are devoid of Hamas fighters.

According to Heller, the primary threat to Israeli forces is RPGs, short-range anti-tank missiles, snipers, and explosive devices. He urged taking into account that "every other house is rigged with explosives waiting for the soldiers." Heller pointed out that by the end of the week, Israeli officials spoke about "signs of breakdown," mentioning areas in Gaza that have not been dealt with, including Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and cities and camps in the central Gaza Strip.

"When you achieve military control and believe you have cleared the area, you suddenly find a tunnel opening from which a man jumps, fires an RPG, and disappears," he added.

garding the intense battles acknowledged by the occupation in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, the military affairs analyst on the Israeli Kan public broadcaster, Roy Sharon, explained that fierce battles have been taking place there over the past day. Sharon added that the Israeli army has its 98th Brigade, among others, as well as tanks and reserve brigades fighting there. Still, the Khan Yunis Brigade, which is considered an elite Hamas brigade that is four battalions strong, is standing. Sharon confirmed in his analysis that Hamas has leadership and control in Khan Yunis, noting that resistance fighters in various areas of the city "are still active."

Israeli military analyst Yoav Zeitoun said that their army realizes that the destruction of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the Gaza Strip will not take place within a few months, given its preparations over the past years, stressing that the army is amazed by the strength and armament of the movement, as he put it.

Zeitoun updated - in an analysis published by the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth - about an implicit American deadline for Israel to end the war at the end of this December or until the end of next January, if things go well, without a shocking event occurring that stops the momentum. Israeli officials insist on continuing the war, hoping to end Hamas' continued rule of Gaza since the summer of 2007, and eliminate the military capabilities of the movement, which confirms that it has been resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestine for decades.

On the ground, the army is amazed every day by how strong Hamas is. It is a real army that was established 50 minutes from Tel Aviv over the past years, Zeitoun added. Shedding light on Hamas' capabilities in confronting the Israeli army, Zaytoun said, "They have hundreds of thousands of weapons, including RPG shells of various types, which are considered their main weapon." They also have advanced rocket launchers, explosive drones, and attack drones that were produced as a copy of the Israeli army's Sky Rider drone, which fell in the Gaza Strip in the past decade.

According to Zaitoun, Hamas fighters also have machine guns, Kalashnikov rifles, Dragunov sniper rifles, advanced communications devices, explosive devices of different standards and sizes, and endless amounts of weapons and military capabilities. Regarding the incursion into the northern Gaza Strip, Zaitoun said that the fierce battles in Beit Hanoun could indicate that “clearing Gaza of the enemy will take many months, and this is not a place where the strongest Hamas forces are located.”

Regarding Shuja'iya, east of Gaza City, Zaytoun quoted a senior officer in the elite Golani Brigade, saying that Hamas has placed its strongest battalion there, and the militants who were born and raised in the neighborhood are linked to it and will not escape, and that in practical terms, the army will need about 6 months to "cleanse" Shuja'iya completely, he said.

The Times of Israel newspaper discussed what it called the effective way to get rid of the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and reviewed the experiences of arrest, killing, and expulsion since the beginning of the first intifada in 1988 , and ended with the option of killing. It said that Israel expelled two activists from the Islamic Jihad movement in 1988 to Lebanon and Syria , but they became leaders inciting their friends in Gaza to carry out attacks against Israel.

The newspaper went on to say that since 2014, Hamas leaders have enjoyed immunity from assassinations, which is a gift - according to its claim - given to them by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as part of his belief that strengthening Hamas is in the interest of Israel, and that was an unprecedented period that lasted for more than 9 years. “During which the movement’s leaders enjoyed a luxury that had not been granted to them before.”

The Times of Israel claimed that Yahya Sinwar , who knew well that he was immune, took advantage of this and used to provoke and belittle Israel, by taking pictures during protests at the fence, and “arrogant pictures” in the office or near his home in the city of Khan Yunis. In a clear challenge to define his location and the extent of his feeling of safety, during this period, 3 heads of the Shin Bet security service presented to Netanyahu 6 times plans to eliminate Sinwar, but he rejected them all.

The Israeli newspaper pointed out that, in any case, this era has ended and no Israeli prime minister will dare to grant immunity to Hamas leaders again. Since Saturday, October 7, various ideas have been put forward, all aiming for the same goal, which is the end of the path of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip.

The Times of Israel returned to asking the question: What is the most effective way to fight them? To say that until the Oslo Accords , Israel was using two main procedures: arrest and deportation, and deportation to another country is considered a more severe punishment, but experience shows that this option has many disadvantages, as activists who were under Israel’s eyes in the occupied territories were expelled to other countries. There, far from Israel's long arm, they worked almost unhindered, raising millions for organizations and urging activists in the occupied territories to continue working against Israel.

It referred to the experience of expelling Hamas leaders to southern Lebanon in 1992, saying that these leaders met with members of Hezbollah , who provided them with qualifications and training using more advanced means. Half a year later, Rabin surrendered to American pressure and the deportees returned to the occupied territories carrying this advanced knowledge, and their relations improved. With Hezbollah and Iran , it was the last time Israel used the penalty of deportation.

After reviewing many experiences of expulsion, arrest, and liquidation, the newspaper concluded that keeping senior Hamas officials in Gaza, and taking great care to eliminate them, is the best way for Israel to deal with Hamas and lead to its surrender.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "in recent days, dozens of Hamas terrorists have surrendered to our forces. They are laying down their weapons and handing themselves over to our heroic fighters. It will take some more time, the war is in full swing, but this is the beginning of the end for Hamas." The prime minister addressed a call to the Hamas terrorists and said: "I say to the Hamas terrorists: it's over. Don't die for Sinwar. Surrender - now."

The IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, commented this evening on the photos of the surrendered Gazans in their underwear and said: "During the fighting there is a surrender and departure of armed men who separate from their weapons and also of men who go out and surrender. We are afraid of explosive belts. This is a move that has been done for years. We have come across In cases where people were wearing such. In the investigations, Hamas members are also discovered. Not all of them are members of terrorist organizations. At the end of the investigation, clothes are put on. Where this did not happen, we will change the matter. Then people are arrested and brought in for questioning. Anyone who is not a terrorist - is released to the south. The photos that were distributed are not of the IDF spokesman. We will decide what to put out."

The Israeli spokesman considered that the images of the prisoners being stripped naked after their surrender in Gaza could not be repeated.

Mark Regev, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisor, played down the humiliation of Palestinian men in an interview with Britain's Sky News on Saturday, suggesting that the act of forcing Palestinians to strip their clothes as they were rounded up by Israeli soldiers was not a major issue because of the warmer weather in West Asia.

Regev stated that in the Middle East, particularly during sunny days, being asked to take off one's shirt might not be "the end of the world", "Remember, it’s the Middle East and it’s warmer here, especially during the day when it’s sunny, to be asked to take off your shirt, it might not be pleasant but it’s not the end of the world," Regev said.

The Israeli army claimed that it “often strips people of their clothes if they pose a threat,” he said, adding in a statement that its forces were in Jabalia and Al-Shuja’iya in the northern Gaza Strip at the time and that individuals were being arrested and interrogated who were allegedly suspected of involvement. In "terrorist activity," he said.

According to the Israeli army, it “releases people who are found not to be participating in terrorist activities,” noting that its treatment of detainees is in accordance with the rules of international law. He added, “It is often necessary for terrorist suspects to remove their clothes so that they can be searched and verified.” They are not hiding explosive vests or other weapons,” he said.

For its part, Hamas said that the men were not its members, and a member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said , “The occupation’s claims that they are members of the Qassam Brigades are false and have no basis in truth or reality.” He added, "The Zionist terrorist occupation's display of pictures and scenes of defenseless civilians in Gaza, after detaining them and placing weapons next to them, is nothing but one of the chapters of an open and ridiculous play, which the occupation has always fabricated in order to create an alleged victory over the resistance men."

Israeli accounts and pages on social media published video clips and pictures that they said showed Hamas fighters surrendering themselves and their weapons to Israeli army forces penetrating into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Channel 12 published a video clip showing a Palestinian man, approximately 50 years old, carrying a light weapon in his left hand, surrendering to the occupation army, placing his weapon on the ground without looking right or left, and returning to the place of his detention.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, it published the video of the same man, whom they called “Abu Ibrahim,” carrying the same weapon, but in his right hand, and heading to surrender, as they claim. When he arrives at the same place where the weapon is handed over, he looks at the soldiers and talks to them.

The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) denied the authenticity of scenes that Israel claimed were of the surrender of fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades , the movement’s military wing, and described it as an “open and ridiculous theatrical play,” stressing that those who appeared in the video were nothing but unarmed civilians.

A member of the movement’s political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said in a statement: “Al-Qassam heroes do not surrender, and the occupation’s lies do not deceive anyone.” Al-Rishq added, “The Zionist terrorist occupation’s display of pictures and scenes of defenseless civilians in Gaza, after detaining them and placing weapons next to them, is nothing but one of the chapters of an open and ridiculous theatrical play, which the occupation has always fabricated in order to create an alleged victory over the resistance men.”

He stressed that "the Zionist enemy has informed the resistance men in the field, who are coming out from where it is not expected, and are entrenching its soldiers and officers every day, confronting its incursions into all combat axes, and continuing to bomb its settlements."

Izzat al-Rishq, said : “ The terrorist Zionist occupation’s display of pictures and scenes of unarmed civilian citizens in Gaza , after detaining them and placing weapons next to them, is nothing but one of the chapters of an open and ridiculous theatrical act, which the occupation has always fabricated in order to manufacture an aAlleged victory against resistance men."

He added: " The occupation's claims that they are part of the Qassam Brigades are false and have no basis in truth or reality, and will not deceive anyone. The Zionist enemy has informed the resistance men in the field, who are coming out from where it is not expected, and are entrenching its soldiers and officers every day and confronting its incursions on all fronts." "The fighting, and they continue to bomb its settlements." He continued: "The men of the resistance are men of God who do not know surrender or defeat , and their constant slogan is 'This is jihad... victory or martyrdom.'

Social networking sites witnessed a wave of ridicule over a new video clip published by the Israeli army, in which it claims the surrender of a group of Hamas resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip. Social media users denounced the Israeli army's stripping of a group of men whom the army described as " Hamas fighters " and removing them from a shelter center in the northern Gaza area, then demanding that they hand over their weapons.

One of the users of the “X” platform commented, saying: “I mean, they asked them to take off their clothes and have the weapon with them, and then they gathered them in front of the school door and they still had the weapon with them, and after that the army remembered that they had a weapon and asked to take it out, and it was clear that it was an Israeli propaganda video.”

While a number of users circulated two separate clips of one man in the same area, noting that the Israeli army published them for what it claims is a scene of an armed surrender from Hamas. In the first clip, the man appears carrying a Kalashnikov rifle in his right hand, and in the second clip he holds it in his left hand. They commented on these videos, saying: “A level of mediocrity from a country that was accustomed to the international media lying on its behalf and suddenly found itself forced to confront social media.”

While one of the users said: “It is clear that the scene was re-filmed several times to produce the best image that the Israeli army wanted.” Another said in condemnation: “They are still living in a very difficult psychological complex linked to the 7th of October?! For more than two months they have been trying to get rid of it by painting a picture of victory in any way, and in every attempt the extent of their true stupidity and bankruptcy is revealed?!”

MP Hassan Fadlallah, a Member of Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc told Reuters in a statement that the escalation with the Israeli occupation would not deter the resistance. Hezbollah launched explosive drones and powerful missiles at Israeli positions after Israeli air strikes rocked many towns and villages in south Lebanon. Israeli forces targeted the southern village of Aitaroun and damaged multiple residences. Fadlallah explained that the new response from Hezbollah would be in the type of weapons used as well as the sites it will target.

Sana'a forces sent a warning message to a ship that was carrying a commercial shipment to Israel in the Red Sea in order to change its course, but the ship did not respond to the warning, so Sana'a forces dealt with it forcefully, and forced it to return to where it came from, without harming it.

Bystanders

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), accused the Israeli occupation of seeking to expel the residents of the Gaza Strip to Egypt across the border. He said, "The developments we are witnessing indicate attempts to transfer Palestinians to Egypt, regardless of whether they reside there or are resettled elsewhere."

In an article in the American newspaper Los Angeles Times, Lazzarini pointed to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the increasing crowding of displaced civilians who fled the fighting near the border in the north and then the south. The UN official believed that the widespread destruction in the northern Gaza Strip and the resulting displacement is "the first stage of this scenario," noting that the next stage is forcing civilians to leave the city of Khan Yunis in the south, near the border with Egypt. “If this path continues, it will lead to what many are already calling the Second Nakba ,” Lazzarini said. “Gaza will no longer be the land of the Palestinians.” He explained that " the United Nations and many member states, including the United States, strongly rejected the forcible displacement of Gazans from the Strip."

Axis of Resistance

The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Major General Musawi considered that Gaza is the center of the world’s attention at this time, as Gaza is witnessing a confrontation between the most abhorrent falsehood and tyranny and the most unjust righteous revolutionaries, continuing to salute Gaza, which is the symbol of mighty resistance and a clear example of the victory of blood over the sword.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army stated that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is the heroic response of the Palestinian liberation movements to the unlimited brutality of the Zionist entity and the criminal America. Major General Mousavi continued: In these 60 days, all the devils gathered, spent billions of dollars, killed thousands of children and civilian men and women, and destroyed hundreds of homes, hospitals, schools, and civilian places to compensate for their miserable failure and the destruction of Hamas.

He stressed that they are at the peak of their helplessness because they think that by destroying schools and hospitals and killing defenseless people, they can weaken the resistance, while the resistance is a divine doctrine and the light of God that never goes out. he Army Commander-in-Chief also added that if the Zionist entity and the United States do not accept the words of Palestinian truth, they will be forced to surrender one day soon.

Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - said that none of the Israeli prisoners or detainees in the Gaza Strip will be released except through the conditional exchange announced by the Palestinian resistance since the beginning of the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” battle. Abu Ubaida confirmed - in a recorded speech obtained by Al Jazeera - that neither Israel nor its supporters can take their prisoners alive without exchanging and abiding by the terms of the resistance and the Qassam.

The military and strategic expert on Al Jazeera, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, confirmed that the speech by Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - came at the precise and appropriate time, and reflected the concerned spirit of the fighter and his ability to continue fighting for an open period.

He pointed out that the speech of the Al-Qassam spokesman came after a period of waiting from his followers, and that his speech came full of hope, determination and resolve, describing Abu Ubaida’s speech as truthful because he supports it in statements with videos and pictures. In his military analysis, Major General Al-Duwairi relied on the numbers provided by Abu Ubaida regarding the losses of the Israeli occupation, where he talked about the destruction of 180 vehicles distributed between tanks, tankers, and bulldozers within 10 days.

This is Abu Ubaida’s first speech since his recorded speech on the 48th day of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle (11/23/2023), hours before the temporary humanitarian truce took effect, which ended at the beginning of this December.

Abu Ubaida stressed, “Neither Netanyahu, nor his government, nor the Zionists in the White House can free a single soldier, and the failed operation proved that,” referring to the failure of the attempt to free an Israeli prisoner and his death a few days ago. He stressed that the temporary truce "proved the credibility of the Al-Qassam Brigades, that none of the enemy's prisoners were and will not be released except on our conditions."

On the ground, Abu Ubaida said that the Al-Qassam Brigades destroyed 180 Israeli military vehicles, completely or partially, within 10 days, that is, since the end of the temporary humanitarian truce at the beginning of this December. He added that Al-Qassam fighters attacked the Israeli vehicles with “Al-Yassin 105” shells, Tandom shells, and strobe charges, confirming that a large number of Israeli soldiers were definitely killed.

He pointed out that the Phalange attacked Israeli foot forces holed up in the buildings with anti-personnel missiles and "finished them from zero distance," noting that Hamas members "confronted the enemy forces stationed on the front lines before the end of the truce or penetrating new fronts." He said that the Al-Qassam Brigades carried out a large number of specific operations, including attacking foot forces, sniping, and detonating mines. He touched on the Qassam Brigades bombing several areas in the Gaza Strip and Ashkelon with dozens of various missiles.

In light of these developments on the ground, Abu Ubaida stressed that “the enemy failed in the north and south of the Gaza Strip and will fail more as its aggression continues and moves to other areas of the Gaza Strip,” stressing that “the enemy is still receiving strikes and what is coming is greater.”

Regarding what Israeli leaders repeatedly declare the goal of eliminating the resistance, Abu Ubaida said that these statements are “talk for Israeli domestic consumption and to satisfy the bloodthirsty right.” He pointed out that "the enemy continues its barbaric aggression against our people and takes revenge on civilians," reiterating that what achieves ground aggression is only destruction and random killing.

He concluded his speech by saying that "we have no choice but to fight to confront the holocaust carried out by the enemy with the aim of breaking the will of our people."

The New York Times said that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is still reaping the benefits from its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, as it gained prestige among the Palestinians, poisoned Israel’s relations with the Arab world, and returned the Palestinian issue to the Western agenda, while Israel became stuck. In a war you cannot win.

After two months of continuous Israeli bombing, the state of devastation that most of the Gaza Strip has become , and the massive and increasing death toll, Israel has not killed senior Hamas leaders, has not returned those detained by the movement, and has not provided convincing evidence that it is capable of achieving its goal of eliminating Hamas, which... Its presence only appears when its fighters go out to attack Israeli tanks or fire missiles at Israel.

The newspaper explained - in a report written by Ben Hubbard from Istanbul - that the high ceiling of Israel’s target constitutes an additional advantage for Hamas, which can declare victory as soon as it survives to fight another day. Ahmed Fouad Al-Khatib, a Middle East policy analyst, said that “Israel will remain stuck in "This is an unwinnable war that will cause massive death and destruction."

The newspaper wondered what exactly Israel could achieve, knowing that continuing the war could, over time, harm its economy and international standing, while encouraging a new generation of Palestinians to hate Israel, all of which would benefit Hamas. Although the sudden attack led by Hamas on Israel was “barbaric,” the newspaper says, the Israeli response came with unprecedented brutality. It said that Israel dropped thousands of bombs on Gaza and launched a ground invasion with the aim of destroying the military structures of Hamas, so the war was disastrous for the 2.2 million people of Gaza.

In Beirut, Hamas hosted a public symposium to evaluate the “achievements and challenges” of the war so far, and its representative, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, said that the battle represented a “qualitative shift” in the conflict with Israel, and that Hamas and the Palestinians had accepted the necessary sacrifices to keep the Palestinian cause alive. He added, "The Palestinian people and their resistance had to make a costly strategic decision, because the costs of liquidating the Palestinian cause and wasting Palestinian rights would be much greater."

While Israel, the United States and other countries consider Hamas a terrorist organization, the Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel's right to exist and has limited authority in parts of the West Bank, has come under increasing criticism from Palestinians who view it as corrupt, undemocratic and infiltrated because its security forces coordinate with Israel to arrest Palestinian fighters. The newspaper concluded that US President Joe Biden and other officials fully supported Israel throughout the war, but in recent weeks, they mixed this support with some concern that the massive destruction and high death toll could undermine Israel's broader goals, and renewed their calls for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians as... The only way to achieve long-term peace.

The New York Times concluded with what John Alterman, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, published a month after the war, under the title “Israel May Lose,” as he indicated that the war may serve Hamas’ long-term goals by withdrawing support from the Palestinian Authority. In favor of the movement, it may also increase Israel’s isolation from the countries of the Arab and developing world and complicate its relations with the United States and Europe, concluding that “this is the necessary first step to reverse the power that Israel gains from integration in the region and the world” from Hamas’ point of view.

Kataib Hezbollah's senior security official, Abou Ali al-Askari, emphasizes that the US embassy in Iraq is acting as a den of espionage, but some Iraqi politicians are brushing off the matter to keep their positions. Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah stated that the US embassy compound in the Green Zone in Baghdad has been serving as a military command center working against Iraq.

The senior security official of Kataib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), Abu Ali al-Askari, emphasized on Sunday that the embassy is acting as a den of espionage, but some Iraqi politicians are brushing off the matter to keep their positions. He added that these politicians argue that it is merely a diplomatic installation that must be protected under international conventions. Shame on such politicians and their personal interests, which are seriously detrimental to the country...The fact of the matter is that these positions will disappear once invaders are driven out,” he expressed.

Allied for Democracy

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that there will be no peace in the Middle East without an independent Palestinian state. Blinken told reporters: “When the major military operation (in Gaza) ends, we need to establish a strong, long-term peace, and we must work on that.” He added: "From our point of view, and I think from the point of view of many people in the world, this should lead to the existence of a Palestinian state. We will not have a strong peace. There will be no reliable security for Israel until the political claims of Palestine are met."

Journalists asked Blinken whether the United States was ready to help Israel if hostilities continued for months, and he responded, saying: “Of course, everyone wants this conflict to end as soon as possible.” He pointed out that Israel faces a serious threat and that it needs to carry out this operation to ensure that a repeat of the Hamas attack will be impossible.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

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.

The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to about 17,997 martyrs. Gaza's health ministry had two days earlier registered the deaths of over 18,000 Palestinians, a major jump from the "about 15,000" reported a few days prior. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The number with varying injuries was 51,300, down from the 56,400 reported the previous day. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said a few days earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 7,500 [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 explained that the death toll in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has risen to 465, including 257 martyrs since last October 7.

The IDF reported estimates that around 7,000 terrorists have been killed and 50% of Hamas' generals and sub-commissions officers have been eliminated.

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.

Israel admitted that 5 soldiers were killed in the Gaza ground battles, bringing the death toll to 97 [109?] since the ground invasion of the Strip, while the death toll for the Israel forces had risen to 429 soldiers since the beginning of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

At least 10,157 Israelis were injured.

The number of wounded since the beginning of the war - according to the army’s announcement - reached 1,593 soldiers, including 255 in critical condition, and 559 soldiers were injured since the beginning of the ground operation.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far. The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed that 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.

Haaretz newspaper revealed that there is a large gap between the number of wounded soldiers announced by the Israeli army, and what hospital records show. he Israeli newspaper indicated that the number announced by the army on Sunday is 1,600 wounded since the start of military operations in the Gaza Strip , while the partial lists announced by hospitals show that they received 4,591 wounded during the same period.

This coincided with what Yedioth Ahronoth revealed yesterday that the number of wounded soldiers reached 5,000, and more than 2,000 were officially admitted to being disabled, before this Israeli newspaper withdrew its report and reduced the number of wounded to only 2,000 instead of 5,000. Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Israeli Ministry of Defense rehabilitation department receives 60 injured people daily, most of whom are in serious condition, in addition to at least 100 being blinded, and 7% suffering from psychological symptoms.

In the same context, the Israeli Soroka Hospital in Beersheba announced that it had received 2,034 soldiers injured of varying degrees of severity since the beginning of the ground war on October 26. He said that last night he received 28 wounded soldiers from Gaza, including 6 in serious condition.

In the context of the difficulty of the battles facing the occupation army in the Gaza Strip, Maariv newspaper reported, “While we constantly hear speeches ‘ Hamas is broken’, the situation on the ground is different, as Hamas attacks, in northern Gaza, the places where the army fought for a month and a half.”

Alalam News Network, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, correspondent in Ramallah reported "The number of those injured in the war exceeds 15,000 members of the Israeli army, which does not exceed 160,000, and the real death toll, information confirms, is much greater than what the Israeli army announces."

The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, stated 09 December 2023 that the numbers provided by the Israeli newspaper about the losses of the occupation army are not correct, and they are greater than that. He pointed to Israeli sources that talk about 3,000 dead and 11,000 wounded, which are the numbers closest to the truth, the adds.

Al Jazeera TV General Al-Duwairi said that a Hebrew newspaper’s announcement of these numbers confirms that the reality is much greater than this. Because Yedioth Ahronoth will be concerned about Israeli morale in the end, meaning it will not provide everything. He added, "Given that the number of vehicles destroyed by the resistance - according to its announcements - reached 500, between a tank and a troop carrier, the first carrying 10 personnel and the second 12 personnel, this means an average of 11 personnel per vehicle."

While losses in symmetrical battles are estimated at one dead to every three wounded, Al-Duwairi believes that the losses in the current battles will be much greater because they are all battles that take place from zero distance, meaning they are deadly battles and even the casualties in them are very serious.

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

When this army tried to rescue one of the detainees, it failed in its operation and caused the death of the detainee. It was also unable to remove his body, and even caused the killing and wounding of the soldiers who made that failed attempt. The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - broadcast a video clip that included pictures of what it said was the failure of an attempt to free a captive Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip, at dawn last Friday. Al-Qassam said that the clip was intended to "thwart a Zionist attempt to reach one of the prisoners, which led to the death of the prisoner, soldier Sa'ar Baruch (24 years old), and the Zionist force was killed and wounded, and they fled the place."

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.

According 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.

The the Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that the Israeli occupation forces arrested at least 15 citizens from several governorates in the West Bank, from yesterday evening, Friday, until dawn today. This brings the number of arrests in the occupied West Bank since October 7 to 3,700 detainees. Israel said that, since the beginning of the war, about 2,100 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the IOS Division and the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade, about 1,100 of them are affiliated with Hamas.

Israeli media reported that thousands of Israelis demonstrated on Saturday night in what has become known as the "Hostages Square" in Tel Aviv" calling for a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance aimed at releasing around 140 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip. The protests extended across the Israeli entity to include the occupied city of Haifa, where settlers rallied and carried banners calling for the resignation of the government of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We hear the unnecessary sounds of war, and we see that everything happening is a waste of time," a spokesperson for the families of the Israeli captives said during the demonstration, as cited by Israeli media.