Screenshot from a video released by Al-Qassam Brigades showing the destruction of an "Israeli" sniper nest in Gaza. Photo: Al-Qassam Telegram channel.
By Yousef Fares – Dec 27, 2023
After more than 75 days of war, the “Israeli” occupation army has no viable military options beyond destroying more urban infrastructure and targetting civilians. The number of martyrs and wounded has doubled since the truce. Apart from that, the long war has led to the Resistance’s increased adaptation and understanding of “Israeli” military behavior, to the point where it can be said that ordinary Palestinian citizens now have advance knowledge of the next step of the enemy army.
Perhaps the most notable thing that was observed last week was the ability of both the Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades to resupply the defensive lines with men and equipment, and to develop operational tactics that have qualitatively improved their defensive operations. This has directly led to increased human losses in the ranks of the occupation army on the one hand, and has reduced losses in the ranks of the Resistance on the other.
The tactical deployment of the Resistance cells consists of no more than a handful of people who are responsible for the task of confronting the enemy within the geographic bounds of one residential area. When those cells complete their tasks, they are replaced with new groups. The total number of active cells at this moment does not exceed 20% of the total number of capable fighters of the Resistance—this leaves tens of thousands of fighters on standby ready for deployment.
This strategy of troop rotation has given the resistance the space to sustain the fighting, even in the areas and neighborhoods that the occupation forces “captured” early on in the war. For example, in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, where the “Israeli” ground incursion began two months ago on October 26, the Qassam Brigades announced on December 22 that their fighters were involved in heavy clashes with the ground forces and inflicted direct casualties on the occupation army. The Palestinian Resistance is exploiting the occupation’s reduction in human and vehicle strength in those areas that the occupation assumed it had already secured from the resistance. Clearly, the Resistance fighters still have active supply lines through underground tunnels to resupply their cells, who continue to effectively carry out operations on the ground.
The Resistance knows that time is on its side, and that the enemy is exhausted and demoralized. The Resistance is preparing for a new phase of the war, and it is confident that it will be victorious.
What about the weapons?
Perhaps one of the most pressing questions for the people and the Resistance’s mass base is the possibility of running out of rockets and anti-tank shells, which are the backbone of field work. However, the Qassam Brigades, for example, began manufacturing the Yassin-105 rocket back in 2017. The rockets only officially entered service during the Al-Aqsa Flood.
Since 2017, this weapon has remained a secret achievement that has not appeared in military parades or exercises covered by the media. What this means is that military manufacturing units and workshops have been working for five years to produce these projectiles in abundance. This is in addition to to the imported weapons that reach the Gaza Strip, such as RPG-7 and PG-29V Tandem shells. Other explosive devices are also available in abundance, especially since the Resistance has been domestically producing many of them for over 15 years.
Additionally, sources close to the Resistance revealed to Al-Akhbar that the Resistance factions developed the technical capacity to manufacture Kalashnikov (AK-47) ammunition locally, more than seven years ago, despite the fact that the production process requires about 60 complex operations. It is worth noting that the locally manufactured ammunition has proven to be just as effective as imported bullets.
A field source in the Al-Quds Brigades, whom we met while preparing a file following the Battle of Sword of Al-Quds in 2021, revealed that it is official policy that the minimum stockpile of ready-to-use mortar shells in the field must exceed 15,000 shells. Naturally, the number is several times greater for the Qassam Brigades, given their greater size, capabilities, and resources.
In conclusion, the Resistance maintains stable field conditions in this phase of the war. The fighters have studied the elements of the battlefield, adapted to the intensity of the enemy surveillance, artillery, and bombing, and have gained a deep understanding of the psychology of the enemy’s soldiers and their way of working. All of this leads to the Resistance’s stability and continuous successful operations, the results of which can be seen in the performance of the its negotiating delegation behind the scenes, such as the unanimous position on the release of the captured soldiers, and the adherence to the demand that there is no negotiation except with a complete ceasefire. Even temporary truces, which have in the past allowed them to re-calibrate the course of the battle, are no longer a necessary concession for the Resistance.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/DZ/SC
Yousef Fares
Yousef Fares is a Palestinian reporter in Gaza. He is an author at Al-Akhbar News and he regularly posts updates on his telegram channel.
