The military and strategic expert, Colonel Hatem Karim Al-Falahi, said that the losses recently incurred by the Israeli Nahal Brigade in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip reveal a qualitative development in the methods of Palestinian resistance.
Yesterday, Saturday, the Israeli occupation army acknowledged the killing of 4 soldiers from the Nahal Brigade and the serious wounding of an officer and a soldier as a result of the detonation of a high explosive device in Beit Hanoun, while settler platforms reported that 7 Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday, and about 30 others were injured, including 11. Their injuries are serious and difficult.
Al-Falahi explained – in an analysis of the military scene in the Gaza Strip – that the recent operations demonstrate the resistance’s ability to adapt to war conditions, despite the passage of more than 100 days since the battle.
He added that the operation that resulted in the killing of 4 soldiers from the Nahal Brigade and the injury of others was carried out with careful preparation, as a tunnel was used that was not discovered by the Israeli army, which enabled the resistance to carry out a precise infiltration targeting an Israeli force in an area under what he described as “full operational control.”
He stressed that the direct clashes that took place during the operation and the evacuation of the wounded under fire indicate advance planning and accurate intelligence information.
Change fighting styles
He continued that this operation, which prompted the Israeli army to change its fighting methods in Beit Hanoun, comes within a series of specific operations targeting the Israeli elite brigades.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the army was forced to change its fighting methods in Beit Hanoun after the recent operation, which was considered one of the heaviest blows suffered by the Nahal Brigade.
Al-Falahi stated that the Nahal Brigade, which consists of the elite 931, 932, and 934 brigades, was subjected to a painful blow in the sector, where it was replaced by another brigade to relieve military pressure, but it soon faced fierce resistance that led to heavy losses.
He pointed out that these losses reflect the exhaustion that the Israeli army is suffering as a result of the continuous operations and the long duration of the war, stressing that the forces are not adequately trained to fight guerrilla warfare in such a complex geographical environment, which makes them vulnerable to complex ambushes and precise booby-trapping operations.
The military expert explained that the Israeli army’s thinking of relying on night fighting would not be an effective solution, because failure in daytime fighting means greater difficulty in night operations, adding that the resistance was able to greatly exhaust the Israeli army by exploiting the terrain and using innovative tactics that doubled its losses.
During the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the occupation has admitted to date the killing of 835 officers and soldiers, in addition to thousands of wounded and physically and psychologically disabled as a result of the war.
