It brings together political analysts who spoke to the program “Gaza… What Next?” The importance of the speech of Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in terms of timing and the messages he sent to Israel and its allies.
In his new appearance, Abu Ubaida focused on the field events in the ongoing confrontations between the Israeli army and the Palestinian resistance, and spoke about what he called the failure syndrome of the occupation leadership and the lie of military pressure to liberate the prisoners.
The researcher in political and strategic affairs, Saeed Ziad, compared Abu Ubaida’s speech with the speech of Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, which preceded Abu Ubaida’s speech by less than an hour, and said that the first appeared coherent and based on distinguished field achievements, and his words were followed by videos and scenes of the fierce fighting in Rafah, south of the Strip. Gaza and Jabalia, north of the Strip.
While the second appeared – Ziad adds – defeated and desperate, warning his people of defeats, and his speech was not followed by any scenes of his forces storming Jabalia and sweeping Rafah, even though his soldiers had cameras to document their operations.
The writer specializing in Israeli affairs, Nihad Abu Ghosh, does not rule out that Abu Ubaida’s speech will fuel internal Israeli disputes, whether between the security and military levels or between the government and the opposition.
The speech of the Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman came to confirm – continues Abu Ghosh – that it is impossible for Israel to win in its battle against the Palestinian resistance, which has the will and is armed with the simplest capabilities, but it directs its strikes daily in all areas of the Gaza Strip.
war of attrition
Abu Ghosh noted that many Israeli leaders warned of drowning in the mud of Gaza and of strategic ambushes prepared by the Al-Qassam Brigades for the Israeli army, which is what is actually happening. He said that Abu Ubaida focused in his speech on the issue of preparing for a long-term battle of attrition that will not end except with the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the failure of His plans for war.
What Abu Ubaida said about the issue of attrition reflects, according to Hassan Ayoub, professor of political science at An-Najah National University, that the battle in Gaza has turned into a “zero-sum battle.” Either it will proceed to its logical conclusion, or it will go to stopping the aggression and the deal that Israel failed.
Abu Ubaida said in his speech: “Despite our complete keenness to stop the aggression, we are prepared for a long battle of attrition for the enemy and to drag it into a quagmire in which it has no benefit in remaining or entering any part of Gaza except killing its soldiers and hunting its officers.”
Given what the resistance has shown during the last two weeks, Israel will not be able to last long in a war of attrition that will affect the army, the government, society, and even American support, as the political science professor explained.
Ayoub shares the opinion of Ziad and Abu Ghosh that Abu Ubaida presented a disciplined speech to the greatest extent politically, indicating that the speech reflects a high degree of agreement between the military (Al-Qassam Brigades) and political (Hamas movement) levels, and it is also clear in its realistic features. From a military standpoint.