Retired military Maj-Gen Fayez al-Duwairi said Abu Obeida’s speech, Hamas Qassam Brigades spokesman – heralds a new phase of resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Abu Obeida gave a speech on the occasion of the first anniversary of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa and coincided with the military operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance factions against the Israeli occupation forces in the so-called Gaza envelope.
Duwairi explained that as stressed in Abu Obeida’s speech this coming phase of the battle is the stage of attrition, which means the resistance still has the ability to continue to confront the Israeli occupation army in the next phase.
Duwairi explained Abu Obeida’s announcement about the continuing attrition operations shows the Palestinian resistance is benefiting from its redeployment in the main axis of Rafah, Netzarim, buffer zones and in the incursion operations in areas such as Jabalia.
“We are facing a new phase of military operations that will pose a major challenge to the Israeli occupation in the long term,” he added.
Al-Duwairi addressed the issue of external support for Israel, stressing on the relationship between the occupation and some Western countries, led by the USA, plays a decisive role in the continuation of Israel’s s aggression on the Strip.
Al-Duwairi pointed out that Abu Obeida’s speech included clear criticism of Arab countries, accusing them of abandoning the Palestinian people, and sent a support message to the resistance in the West Bank, praising the efforts of the fighters there and calling for an escalation of operations against the occupation.
Regarding the file of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance, Al-Duwairi indicated Abu Obeida’s speech reveals the possibility of this file entering a “dark tunnel”, which further complicates the situation and makes the fate of the prisoners unknown.
Al-Duwairi believes that the next stage will witness an escalation in military and attritional operations against the occupation, in light of the field changes and internal and external pressures facing the Israeli entity.
This is Abu Obeida’s 28th speech since the Al-Aqsa flood, and comes three months after his last speech on 7 July.
Today, Monday, marks the first anniversary of the start of Israel’s war on Gaza which resulted in more than 139,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people.
Despite the passage of one year since the start of the war, Israel has failed to achieve any of its declared goals, especially recovering prisoners from the Strip and eliminating the capabilities of Hamas and the rest of the resistance factions as stated in Al Jazeera.