The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that the videos of the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) – confirm that its general staff is still working with the utmost efficiency and has the upper hand.
Al-Duwairi explained – during his analysis for Tel Aviv Tribune – that the recent scenes are a clear message that Al-Qassam has the command, control, communications and reconnaissance system.
On December 18, Al-Qassam broadcasted 4 videos, two of which depicted epic battle scenes against occupation vehicles and soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, in addition to a third video about the Israeli-discovered tunnel, and a fourth about elderly Israeli prisoners entitled “Don’t Let Us Grow Old.”
He pointed out that the occupation army only succeeds in bombing homes and killing civilians, and that the videos it publishes are “a show of force directed at inside Israel,” pointing out that they show only half the truth and appear to be training or maneuvers.
As for the repeated statements of occupation leaders about Israel going too far in eliminating Hamas, Al-Duwairi said that they are populist speeches directed at the interior, citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s instructions to the head of the Mossad to meet with mediators to release the prisoners in Gaza.
He stressed that Netanyahu’s government is facing a crisis reality, and is trying to cover up its failure here and there, such as the discovery of a tunnel near the border fence more than 70 days after its war.
Weapons and messages
As for field developments, Al-Duwairi stated that the Al-Qassam Brigades resorted to the Kornet missile to strike an exposed Israeli vehicle instead of tanks and armored carriers, because the latter are equipped with a “protective curtain” system and can shoot down the missile before reaching the target.
He pointed out that the Kornet is Russian-made and has been improved. The Qassam possesses laser-operated missiles with a range of 5.5 kilometers. The weight of the filling is estimated at 27 kilograms, and its trajectory is a non-straight spiral.
Regarding the implications of the Al-Qassam video regarding elderly Israeli prisoners, the military expert said that these are among the founders of the occupation army and have a long track record in doing so.
He added that these are extremist Jews and live in the settlements surrounding Gaza, stressing that the video message will have a similar or greater impact than the killing of the three prisoners a few days ago at the hands of the Israeli army.