Hamas Archives - Page 22 of 32

Analysis – Israeli Army Can Only Move at Night

CrossFireArabia
October 20, 2024

Military and strategic expert, Maj-Gen Fayez Al-Duwairi said the Israeli occupation army is not able to advance in northern Gaza Strip except at night, indicating this is creating new challenges for the Palestinian resistance.

Differences this time

Al-Duwairi explained the differences between the current Israeli military operation here, and its previous operations, highlighting the new tactics followed by the occupation army and the challenges posed to Palestinian resistance groups.

He pointed out while there are ongoing battles and heavy Israeli losses including the destruction of vehicles and the killing of their soldiers, he believes the occupation’s success in isolating the Jabalia camp from all four sides has created a different reality this time around.

Moving at night

But he stressed most of the occupation’s main advances take place at night, attributing this fact to the resistance’s lack of night vision weapons with infrared rays. He pointed out this allows the occupation forces to set up barricades and achieve additional progress, even at limited distances ranging between 50 and 70 meters.

The military expert added this situation has created a new problem for the resistance it has not been exposed to before, despite its success in inflicting heavy losses on the occupation forces.

He drew attention to the seriousness of the humanitarian situation, noting there are about 150,000 Palestinians trapped in an area of no more than two square kilometers, with Israeli tanks standing at the doors of shelters.

Human shields

Al-Duwairi believes it is as if the Israeli army is using civilians as human shields, making it difficult for resistance fighters to carry out their duties without risking harm to these civilians, considering this situation as one of the biggest challenges facing fighters, which they did not face in previous military incursions.

Commenting on the video shown by the Israeli army of the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Yahya Sinwar – which he said shows him with his family in a tunnel on the night of 7 October, 2023 – Al-Duwairi pointed out this video represents a “glorification of Sinwar and not condemnation of him.”

Not a 5-star hotel!

He explained the video shows the Hamas leader and the main planner of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa living a difficult life inside the tunnels, not in a 5-star hotel, adding that he is the head of a family and is being directly targeted, and it is natural for him to seek to put his children in safety.

Al-Duwairi added the fact that Sinwar and his children lived for a year in the tunnels represents a sacrifice that must be appreciated, and he believed that the occupation’s attempt to use this video to condemn Sinwar may backfire, as he can be seen as a resistance leader who sacrifices his personal life for his cause.

Al-Duwairi believes that this video refutes the accusations directed at Sinwar and other Hamas leaders that they live a life of luxury, and that what appeared is that these leaders are not looking for a life of luxury, but seek to liberate the land, protect its honor, and are ready to die for the sake of God according to Al Jazeera.

Opinion

Foreign Policy: Killing Sinwar Will Only Make Hamas More Fierce

CrossFireArabia
October 19, 2024

A Foreign Policy magazine report confirmed that Israel’s killing of the head of the Hamas political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, will only make the movement more fierce. It added while it may seem like a great achievement today, with time, others will rise in his place – as is always the case – and the resistance will continue.

Middle East affairs specialist Stephen Cook, a columnist for the magazine, said that history shows that “it is impossible to eliminate a resistance movement” by killing its members, and the martyrdom of their leaders will not deter “those who support the cause”, but will lead them to redouble their efforts to achieve their goals.

The writer pointed out that resistance is not a “sterile” project, but rather “an essential part of the identity of those who belong to it,” and for this very reason Sinwar did not want to die a natural death but rather to be martyred by a tank shell on the battlefield, believing that this would strengthen the resistance.

The writer warned the Israelis not to be distracted by celebrating and distributing sweets from reality, and addressed them, asking: “Do you remember the most prominent founders of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, or the Palestinian leader Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad)? What about the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Abbas al-Moussawi, or the founder of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Fathi Shaqaqi? They were monsters to Israel in the past, and it was able to assassinate them all, but the resistance continued.”

He added: “As skilled as the Israelis are in avenging the blood of their dead, they have never succeeded in putting a real end to the resistance over the past decades, so what makes them think that killing Sinwar will lead to a different result this time?”

In the writer’s opinion, Israel’s killing of Sinwar will not break Hamas, but will ignite anger and a desire for revenge in the hearts of its members, just as the assassination of its founder, Hassan al-Banna, in 1949 did not weaken the Muslim Brotherhood.

Cook believes that Israel’s failed strategy of eliminating movements by targeting their leaders is similar to the mentality of the United States after the 11 September attacks. Although the US forces killed the founder of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the organization survived, as did the Islamic State after the killing of its founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and these organizations still pose a threat to the United States to this day according to JO24.

News

Sinwar Killed Whilst Fighting in Battle

CrossFireArabia
October 18, 2024

A source said the late martyr Yahya Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau, was at the forefront of Al Aqsa Flood that began on 7 October, 2023.

According to the Quds Press News Agency, the source revealed that “leader Sinwar used to move between all the ‘combat sites’ in the Gaza Strip, fighting heroic battles with his men in eastern Khan Yunis, to the eastern sector of Rafah, steadfast and firm on the proud land of Gaza whilst defending the land of Palestine and its sanctities”.

He continued: “The martyrdom of Sinwar in Rafah confirms he was in the forefront of the defensive ranks of the resistance and was martyred in an area of operations and activity against the criminal Zionist army”.

The source stressed “his martyrdom in a battle above ground refutes the rumors of the enemy about him hiding in a tunnel, or that he was taking shelter with Israeli prisoners, together with the lies that spread against him”.

He pointed out “the martyr ascended forward, not backward, brandishing his weapon, engaging and confronting the occupation army at the forefront of the ranks.”

The source stressed: “The Hamas organizational cohesion, and that its Shura institutions are capable of overcoming the blows, and the movement will remain, confronting the occupier until it is eliminated and defeated.”

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas Political Bureau member mourned Sinwar, saying he was martyred whilst “engaging and confronting the Israeli army,” stressing there will be no return of the Israeli prisoners except through stopping the aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Al-Hayya said in a recorded speech, Friday: “We mourn Yahya Sinwar, head of the Hamas Political Bureau, commander of the Battle of the Flood of Al-Aqsa, who ascended as a heroic martyr, drawing his weapon.”

He added Sinwar was killed whilst “engaging and confronting the Israeli occupation army until the last moment of his life.”

He added: “Sinwar was at the forefront, moving between combat positions, steadfast and fixed on the land of Gaza, defending Palestine,” according to Jo24.

News

White House ‘Horrified’ of Burning Bodies in Tent

CrossFireArabia
October 14, 2024

Gruesome videos and pictures appearing to depict displaced Palestinian civilians burning alive in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza are both “horrifying” and “deeply disturbing,” the White House said Monday.

A National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that the White House “made our concerns clear to the Israeli government” after seeing the graphic imagery.

Left: Israel attacks tents at central Gaza hospital, killing four, injuring 70. Distraught eye witness sees bodies of a woman and girl burning in front of him

Right: After calling for an arms ban on Israel last week, this morning Spain and Ireland called to suspend an EU trade… pic.twitter.com/2a309H4s9s
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) October 14, 2024

“Israel has a responsibility to do more to avoid civilian casualties — and what happened here is horrifying, even if Hamas was operating near the hospital in an attempt to use civilians as human shields,” the spokesperson said.

Four people were killed and 40 others were injured when Israeli warplanes hit a courtyard at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah Sunday night, burning dozens of tents as displaced Palestinians slept.

Medical teams evacuated several injured individuals, including women and children, whose clothes were set ablaze by the explosion.

The victims suffered severe burns, with some bodies charred beyond recognition. Most of the injured sustained second and third-degree burns, eyewitnesses told Anadolu. They also reported that the fire spread rapidly due to the flammable nylon and fabric materials used in the tents.

SILENCE IN THE FACE OF FLAMES

The video by @AlJazeeraNews reports on a devastating Israeli attack on a hospital tent camp in Gaza, claiming the lives of displaced Palestinians. Eyewitnesses recount horrific scenes of burning bodies and unimaginable suffering, with women and… pic.twitter.com/3t51SqPCUg
— NAKHOKHO RASHID MATSELELE (@RashidMatselele) October 14, 2024

According to a written statement from the government media office in Gaza, this was the Israeli army’s seventh attack targeting the tents of displaced civilians at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Israel had previously bombed tents at that site on Jan. 10, March 13, July 22, Aug. 4, and Sept. 27.

Israel has waged a sweeping offensive on Gaza following a Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed nearly 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. More than 42,200 people have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 98,400 have been injured, according to Gaza health authorities.

Nearly all of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on the entry of international assistance that has led to acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

News

Iran Strike on 15 Israeli Sites Topped $53 Million in Damages – Report

CrossFireArabia
October 14, 2024

The Iranian missile attack on Israel earlier this month caused significant damage to property, amounting to an estimated $53 million, according to an Israeli report published on Sunday by Yedioth Ahronoth. The attack, which occurred on 1 October, is now regarded as one of the most destructive since the beginning of the war starting 7 October 2023.

Citing recent data from Israel’s property tax authority, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the damages to civilian property are estimated between 150 and 200 million shekels (approximately $40 to $53 million). This makes it the most costly single missile strike on the occupation state since the war began.

The report detailed damage in at least 15 locations, including Israeli military bases. In Hod HaSharon, a settlement in central Israel, around 100 apartments were damaged, with losses estimated at more than 10 million shekels ($2.6 million) for one building alone.

Israel announced earlier this month that Iran had launched approximately 180 missiles in a retaliatory strike for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Abbas Nilforoushan. The attack was described by Iran as revenge for these killings, which occurred in late September during Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and in July during an Israeli strike in Tehran.

Shortly after the incident, the Israeli military, as well as the Biden administration, denied that the strike had a significant influence according to the Quds News Network.