The Israeli occupation’s heinous crimes and massacres in Gaza will not go unanswered, and nothing can relent the Palestinian resistance.
The latter fired a large barrage of rockets toward Tel Aviv and has since cut through occupation defenses in northern Gaza. The resistance’s highly coordinated operations also make it abundantly clear that all occupation soldier positions are well within sight and fully exposed. Rafah as the launchpad of resistance attacks says it all: the site where scores of brave Palestinians are clustered together in defiance of Israeli illegal occupation and continuing onslaught. The resistance reaction out of Rafah thus captures the spectacular symbolism of the Palestinian cause, its deep roots, and its unwillingness to cede an inch to genocidal forces that prey on innocent Gazan lives.
“[Continuation of the Israeli aggression] means more Israeli captives in the hands of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip,” said senior resistance official Bassem Naim in a recent interview to Al Mayadeen.
The Israeli occupation deserves to be put on the back foot for its unspeakable atrocities against Palestinian civilians in Rafah. Scores of innocent faces were burned to death in unwarranted airstrikes, and the genocidal regime thinks it can proceed with such murders upon will.
This is a recipe for occupation destruction. The resistance has shown that “Israel’s” deliberate bombardment will warrant swift, high-precision attacks that expose occupation vulnerabilities. These retaliatory attacks are also geared towards settling Palestinian blood with firm defiance. Such were the scenes when resistance operations continued to push up IOF casualties on various fronts, and confronted occupation troops in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of southwestern Gaza city. It is the undeniable right of Palestinian resistance forces to respond to “Israel’s” murderous campaign against civilians. The occupation was repeatedly warned but never listened. Palestinians will not blink twice in putting their principled resolve into action for all times to come.
Interestingly, the Israeli occupation is feeling the heat and should prepare for continued pushback if genocidal massacres do not cease. The resistance has shown it can strike Israeli personnel carriers, muster a powerful response to invading Israeli helicopters, target soldier coordinates, occupation troop positions, and any so-called “defense” that the genocidal regime insists on. This is important because war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a campaign of assassinating all Palestinians, and is banking on an unwarranted occupation status-quo to justify this slaughter worldwide.
But make no mistake. Resistance forces continue to halt IOF attempts to penetrate the Gaza Strip on all fronts, and enjoy asymmetrical leverage in ambush tactics. Occupation forces appear to capitulate against these tactical strengths and have no response to the resistance’s complex counteroffensive operations across the Strip. Invading forces have been compelled to retreat, a significant example of the on-ground effectiveness and strategic prowess of the resistance. From occupation tanks to bulldozers, none of the Israeli assets are outside of the resistance’s attack radar. The use of heavy-caliber mortar shells also sends occupation forces scrambling, and makes clear that US support for the genocide will not go unnoticed.
As IOF casualties mount, the message to “Israel” and its allies is telling: your actions will determine the strength of Palestine’s legitimate reaction. The resistance is absolutely correct to call out Washington for its brazen and uninterrupted support for “Israel’s” genocidal actions in the Strip. After all, without Washington’s cover and diplomatic support, Israeli occupation forces wouldn’t have dared to attack the forcibly displaced families in Rafah. The massacres are rightly described as a “blatant challenge, complete disregard, and defiance” of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s order to cease aggression.
Palestine will never be a murder field for “Israel” to mount its atrocities and get away unscathed. The resistance makes sure of it by releasing footage and exposing Israeli falsehoods about the extent of its bombardment, genocidal atrocities, and mass slaughter. This is not the only front where the resistance is doubly effective. It has led ground and aerial attacks at any given point in time.
For instance, its rockets into Tel Aviv clearly prove that no occupation target is safe if Palestinian lives are compromised through a deliberate policy of obliteration, hate, and brutality. Behind “Israel’s” impunity lie Western allies, who are directly responsible for shielding decades of occupation war crimes to enable genocidal belligerence. Against this backdrop, the resistance will continue to break this colonial nexus that has dehumanized Palestinians and normalized assaults on their liberties and survival.
It shows in the continued damage dealt to the IOF, which counts its number of injured officers and soldiers at 3,657 since the beginning of the war. But don’t give into the occupation’s official acknowledgement of losses. It has a habit of fabricating casualty tolls and deliberately downplaying battleground losses. The actual injury figures run higher, according to media and hospital reports.
As “Israel” rages ahead with its genocide in Gaza, that IOF toll will shoot up significantly. And it is “Israel” that bears full responsibility for what is destined to follow.
Hannan Hussain
Al Mayadeen