Al-Qassam Brigades announced its full responsibility for two bombing attacks in illegal Zionist settlements in the occupied West Bank on August 30, at exactly 11:00 pm (local time).
The attacks targeted the Gush Etzion and the Karmei Tzur settlements in northern al-Khalil and injured four Zionists, including the commander of the Etzion Brigade.
Al-Qassam mourned two of its fighters who executed the attacks, martyr Mohammad Ihsan Marqah and martyr Zahdi Nidal Abu Afifa.
The Palestinian Resistance faction detailed the two operations, which occurred simultaneously.
The Gush Etzion operation
In the first operation, martyr Marqah set up an explosive-laden car at a gas station. The goal of the operation was to lure occupation troops to the area of the attack in the hope of ambushing the incoming force.
As occupation forces arrived at the area, the Resistance fighter opened fire from his automatic weapon at the troops, inflicting casualties, including Gal Rich, the commander of the Etzion Brigade.
The Karmei Tzur operation
Martyr Afifa, on the other hand, barraged a car through a checkpoint in the Karmei Tzur settlement and ran over a local security member before firing his weapons at a group of settlers. He then detonated explosives planted in the vehicle.
Al-Qassam will continue to aid, conduct top-tier operations against Zionists
Hamas’ military wing revealed the details of the operations to reaffirm “that all governorates in the West Bank, without exception, will continue to conceal within their neighborhoods more painful and major surprises for the treacherous occupier.”
Another operation in the al-Khalil governorate saw a Palestinian Resistance fighter execute a drive-by shooting, targeting a police car near the Tarqumiyah military checkpoint. Martry Muhannad Mohammad al-Asoud killed three police officers present in the car, before being tracked down and killed by occupation forces later on Sunday.
“The brigades reaffirm their commitment to all the heroes of our people in the West Bank, continuing to supply and support them with equipment and information, and preparing martyrs and operatives for top-tier operations that will soon drive this occupier from our land,” al-Qassam stated.
The West Bank has come under fierce ggression that has been ongoing for several days and mainly targeted the northern governorates of the occupied territory, including Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas.
Palestinian Resistance factions called on Palestinians everywhere to mobilize against the aggression.
Meanwhile, al-Qassam Brigades released a statement in which it explained that Palestine’s response to the aggression on the northern West Bank would come from the southern West Bank.
Abu Obeida announces new orders to “deal with” captives
Following the Zionist massacre in Nuseirat, Palestinian Resistance fighters have been given new instructions on how to “deal with” captives if occupation forces approach their place of detention in Gaza, the al-Qassam spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
The occupation army announced Sunday locating the bodies of six captives in a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Among them was an Zionist-American soldier Hirsch Goldberg-Polin.
“We [announce this decision] to everyone, clearly and explicitly,” Abu Ubeida said.
He emphasized that Prime Minister Netanyahu and the occupation army bear full responsibility for the deaths of prisoners, having deliberately obstructed any prisoner exchange deal for narrow interests, and intentionally killing dozens of captives through direct airstrikes.
“It was made clear that Netanyahu’s insistence on freeing the prisoners through military pressure, rather than negotiating a deal, could result in their (captives) return to their families in coffins, leaving the families to choose between receiving them dead or alive,” the spokesperson concluded.
The bloody Nuseirat massacre
A video released on Sunday by the al-Qassam Brigades confirmed previous reports that the six captives were supposed to be released in the first stage of the prisoner exchange deal being discussed during the mediated ceasefire talks, which was then sabotaged by the regime.
“Netanyahu chose the Philadelphi Corridor over the liberation of your captives,” the Resistance said in the video.
Occupation forces launched last June a series of heavy airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing over 200 Palestinians and wounding more than 400 in what was described as one of the bloodiest massacres since the war on Gaza began. The regime said that the attack was “part of an operation aimed at retrieving captives.” While the occupation located and brought back four captives, the attack killed several others, the Resistance announced then.
On a Haaretz podcast on Sunday, senior analyst Amos Harel argued that the recent death of captives has revealed to the Zionist public that Netanyahu’s belief in military pressure as the sole means to secure captives’ release is flawed.
“The outcome is clear to everybody: If in these operations, especially tunnels, we lose the element of surprise, there’s a good chance more hostages will die under similar circumstances,” he said then.