Tel Aviv Tribune Net correspondents
Occupied Jerusalem- An “acknowledgment of failure” in achieving the goals of the war and a “defeat” before the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian factions during the ground incursion. This is how estimates by analysts and article writers described the Israeli army’s announcement of the withdrawal of the Golani Brigade forces, and the subsequent expulsion of paratroopers and armored forces from the Gaza Strip. Gaza.
The withdrawal of elite Israeli army forces from the Gaza Strip came before the official announcement of the start of the third phase of the war, and the redeployment of forces at the security fence, while maintaining specific forces in the Khan Yunis area.
This withdrawal of the forces reflected their heavy losses among the ranks of soldiers and officers, as 44 officers and soldiers from the Golani Brigade were killed, in addition to hundreds of wounded since the start of the ground incursion into Gaza on October 27, while the announced toll of the brigade’s death toll reached 71 during the battle. Al-Aqsa flood.
The withdrawal of the “Golani Brigade” forces and the fighters of the so-called “13th Battalion” comes after 9 days of fierce battles and violent clashes in the Shujaiya neighborhood, in which their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Greenberg, and 8 other officers and fighters were killed. It is noteworthy that the battles in this neighborhood during the 2014 war left the Golani Brigade 70 dead.
withdrawing forces
The announced death toll of the Israeli army since the seventh of last October until Friday morning reached 471 people, including 144 since the start of the ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of whom were elite regular and reserve forces, and are as follows:
- Golani Brigade: It was founded before the Palestinian Nakba in February 1948 by Zionist gangs, and participated in all Israeli wars and military campaigns. It is one of the five infantry brigades in the regular Israeli army (the others are the Paratroopers Brigade, the “Nahal” Brigade, the “Givati” Brigade, and the Kfir Brigade), and it is affiliated with the Division. 36 Armored Corps, consisting of five battalions, including the 12th and 13th Battalions, which have been retained since its establishment, and the 51st Battalion transferred from the “Givati” Brigade.
- Parachute Brigade (35th Brigade): Founded in 1955, it is a regular parachute brigade in the army, part of the infantry and composed of 4 battalions. It moves using helicopters, flexible ships and other special vehicles according to the nature of the activity and the course of the terrain, taking into account the location and method in which the brigade’s forces will be deployed. In war or operational activity.
- Armored Brigade: It was established after the Nakba in 1948, and it is the main maneuvering weapon in the ground arm. It is among the largest armored forces in the world, and relies for its main strength on combat tanks. It is considered the decisive weapon in the army headquarters, as it advances the battle fronts and undertakes the task of destroying the forces of the other party. And strengthening the infantry while performing security tasks.
- “Sheetat 13” unit: It is a special unit (commando) belonging to the Israeli Navy.
- Duvdevan unit (Unit 217): It is an elite unit that specializes in combating armed organizations.
Chronic trauma
This withdrawal of elite forces was preceded by the Israeli army, during the fierce battles and clashes on the incursion fronts, removing hundreds of soldiers from the combat zones to the border areas, where it allocated psychological counseling units for them to reduce the traumas that the soldiers were exposed to during the fighting, in an attempt to boost their morale, according to what Haaretz reported.
The newspaper estimated that the withdrawal of the elite forces, especially the Golani Brigade forces, reflects the extent of the human “losses” incurred by the forces, as well as the futility of the psychological counseling that was provided to the soldiers during the battles.
Psychological counseling – according to what the newspaper documented – was unable to raise the soldiers’ combat morale and return them to ground battles, while the Israeli army hopes to be able to early detect cases that may develop into chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, which may lead to depression and suicide.
“We will not win”
Under the title “Let us admit defeat,” Hillel Shokin, a lecturer at Tel Aviv University, wrote an article in Haaretz newspaper, in which he reviewed the course and developments of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the losses incurred by the army in terms of human forces, military equipment and machinery, as well as the bank of targets “which remained without balance.” , according to his expression.
Reading the meanings and connotations of withdrawing elite forces from the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli aspiration to begin the third phase of the war and redeploy the forces, Shokin wrote, “We will not win even if we are together as well. We have already lost the current military campaign on Gaza for the sake of our right to a national homeland in the Land of Israel. The loss became apparent on October 7th.
The lecturer at Tel Aviv University added, “Every additional day of ground maneuver increases failure, and when this military campaign ends, as is expected in a few weeks due to international pressure, Israel will find itself in a more difficult situation than the one it entered into.”
Shokin Bank recalled the declared goals of the war on Gaza, saying, “On October 16, the Israeli War Cabinet announced the goals of the war, represented by overthrowing Hamas’ rule and destroying its military capabilities, removing the terrorist threat from the Gaza Strip to Israel, and making every effort to resolve the situation.” The issue of hostages, and protecting the country’s borders and its citizens, and at the end of the campaign we will not achieve any of these goals.”
“We have to admit”
The same reading was adopted by investigative journalist and specialist in military and intelligence affairs, Ronen Bergman, who, through an assessment of a position published in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, reviewed the failure in not achieving the goals of the war, and the lack of official recognition by the political and military institutions of the impossibility of liberating the kidnapped people and eliminating Hamas.
Bergman adds, “No one says this publicly, but this is the reality. In fact, even if an agreement is not reached on a new exchange deal, it is possible that the Israeli army will be forced to withdraw completely from Gaza before it completes its declared military goals, which have not been achieved.” “With the end of the third month of the war approaching.”
Bergman’s bottom line is: “Israel has harmed Hamas, but it is far from overcoming it. There are those who believe that Israel has suddenly become interested in the deal, because it has become clear to everyone that within two weeks it will be forced to stop maneuvering under American pressure, as the deal will be an optimistic end to the war.” “And much more enjoyable than if the Americans asked Israel to stop and withdraw without even releasing the detainees.”