ALBAWABA - The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Friday that Al-Qassam Brigades fighters, the military wing of Hamas, have surprised Israeli forces with their combat skills and tactics during ongoing clashes in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, which is southeast of Gaza City.
The report talks about a number of resistance operations that are still making it hard for Israel to invade the ground, even after weeks of heavy bombings.
The report says that Al-Qassam fighters hit the deputy commander of a battalion in Israel's Armored Brigade in Al-Zaytoun a few days ago, hurting him. The fighters also attacked an Israeli armored force that was in the same area, but the Israeli government has not said how many people they lost.
According to military sources quoted by the newspaper, Hamas fighters have been attacking temporary Israeli positions in Al-Zaytoun nonstop. Reports say that Israeli forces were surprised by how well Al-Qassam's tactics worked, especially how often they used improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been a big problem for Israeli military advances.
Finding the Restored Tunnel
The report also said that Israeli troops found a tunnel under their positions in the area. Military sources confirmed that Hamas fighters had been able to fix and use the tunnel again in the past few months, even though it was hit hard by Israeli airstrikes. This shows that the group can rebuild military infrastructure even when things are very bad.
A timeline for Israeli operations
Even though Israel has expanded its ground operations in many parts of Gaza, attacks by resistance groups are still slowing progress. Israeli military reports say that the Armored Brigade thinks its campaign in Al-Zaytoun will end in two weeks. However, analysts say that ambushes and hit-and-run tactics from the resistance may make the operation last longer.
Ongoing Conflict and Persistent Resistance
Even though there have been constant airstrikes and a lot of troops sent to the area, the Palestinian resistance keeps attacking Israeli forces and firing rockets at Israeli towns and cities. The fighting shows how strong Hamas is and how it can still carry out operations almost two years into the war.
