A military expert answers… 6 questions that summarize what is happening in Gaza currently News

Military expert, retired Major General Mahmoud Irdisat, said that the losses of the Israeli occupation army have become greater in terms of equipment and soldiers in recent days after it penetrated into Gaza City (north of sector) and between its buildings, and the battle with the Palestinian resistance turned into a process of “biting fingers” for both sides, indicating that Israel does not disclose the true numbers of its losses.

Erdisat added – in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net – that Israel will pay a heavy price as a result of the massacres it committed in Gaza, as a result of the withdrawal of part of Western political support for it, under popular pressure and demonstrations in European cities, and a change in political positions at the level of some European governments.

The military expert also provided a reading of what is happening on the “Northern Front”. Hizb allah And the occupation army, and pointed out that the two sides do not want a clash now, and there may be some kind of escalation, but there will not be a comprehensive war between the two fronts.

• Where did the ground forces of the occupation army reach inside the Gaza Strip?

Since the ground incursion, Israeli forces have tried to enter from three axes: the northwestern axis from Al-Atatra and Beit Lahia, the northeastern axis from Beit Hanoun, and then the final axis from east to west, and it was from the soft flank in agricultural areas in the northern half. To Wadi GazaSpecifically, from the Juhr al-Dik area towards Salah al-Din Road, and then to the sea at al-Rashid Road.

During the past three days, this siege was completed, as the forces became almost besieging Gaza City (only the northern part of the Strip). The forces arrived from the east of the Strip to Al-Rashid Street, then turned north towards the Gaza port andBeach camp To meet with the forces coming from the northwest of Beit Lahia.

Whenever the occupation army penetrated densely populated areas, there were opportunities for the resistance to exit the tunnels and use buildings to hide and hunt down vehicles and soldiers.

The siege was first carried out by fire through bombardment, without the presence of forces on the ground, but now I believe that the Israeli forces on the ground are besieging the city, and penetrating inland towards Al-Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital, and inland towards the Al-Karama and Al-Rimal areas.

Here, the losses of the occupation army have become greater, and it faces stronger resistance because whenever it penetrates into built-up and densely populated areas, there are opportunities for the resistance to exit the tunnels and use the land and buildings to hide, cover up, and hunt down vehicles and soldiers. Therefore, in the past few days, we have seen an increase in losses, whether in vehicles or soldiers. Equipment or even soldiers, because “the incursion of Israeli forces into residential areas is consistent with the plan that I believe the resistance has prepared through tunnels and using the land to resist the occupation.”

At this stage, there is a process of “finger-biting” on both sides, but I find that the resistance is in a position that enables it to inflict the largest losses, and it “wins in it because whenever it inflicts losses on the enemy, it is a profit for the resistance.”

• Are there statistics on these losses?

According to the latest statement issued by Abu Ubaida, spokesman for… Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades According to what was issued by the Israeli side, the occupation’s losses in vehicles amounted to about 160 vehicles, including armored vehicles, tanks, and bulldozers. As for human losses, the numbers announced by the occupation army are 45.

After the dust of war settles, we will see that the occupation’s losses are greater than the announced numbers, whether in vehicles, equipment, or soldiers

I believe that Israel lost more than that, and is hiding the true numbers until it informs the families of the dead. But in general, the number 45 from the Israeli perspective before this war was a large number, but now Israel lost at the beginning of the battle (Al-Aqsa flood) A very large loss, and therefore these numbers became modest, but in the custom of the Israeli army and history, such numbers were viewed as very large. I believe that after the dust of war settles, we will see that the occupation’s losses are greater than these numbers, whether in vehicles, equipment, or soldiers.

As for the resistance side, it looks at the results and not at the losses of fighters. It does not look at the sacrifices, because in the end these people want to be liberated, and therefore the price must be paid, and it “considers everyone who kills a sacrifice for the sake of liberation.” But at the same time, “the more fighters there are in the resistance, the greater their ability to combat the occupation.”

• Did the occupation army succeed in displacing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip?

It has not succeeded in the way Israel wanted so far, as it wanted to empty northern Gaza, which is Gaza City in general and some of the suburbs around it. It wanted to empty this area to be a scorched earth and an alternative buffer zone from the Gaza enclave, which the resistance stormed in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on the 7th of last October.

Israel is trying to provoke Hezbollah, especially with the presence of the American aircraft carrier and battleships in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the massive political and material support provided to it in this war.

People found themselves out in the open as a result of the bombing, and they were dying in the streets. Some of them may have left, but those who were able to cling to the area did not leave, and a large number are still in Gaza City, and in the northern Gaza Strip, they have not been displaced.

• Are there numbers that reveal the true number of those remaining in the northern Gaza Strip?

I cannot give numbers, but there is a large number still in the north. If we are talking about the fact that there were more than a million in northern Gaza, then I believe that there are still more than half of this number in the northern Gaza Strip, and “this number is moving, in the beginning A large group left, but a large portion of them returned again,” so this number will remain dynamic.

• What political cost will the occupation bear as a result of this war?

The occupation will pay a heavy price. At the beginning of this attack, the occupation was justifying the bombing and destruction by saying that it was defending itself after what happened last October 7, and “on every occasion it said that it wanted to wipe Gaza off the map, and it is trying to do so, but it will not “He can now.”

Israel will pay a political price that it has not paid throughout its occupation of Palestine for 75 years

In the beginning, “we saw that all the Western colonial countries stood with the Israeli enemy and supported it with everything they had,” not only political support, but material and military support. “We saw a bridge – and it is still continuing today – from the United States to compensate the enemy for every bullet and every piece of equipment he loses,” but this political support began to decline, starting from the Third World countries and reaching Europe now, and “this political support began to withdraw under popular pressure.” Under the demonstrations taking place in all European cities from Madrid to Paris to London to Berlin, in Sweden and Denmark, and in America itself.” Since yesterday, we have seen political positions at the level of European governments saying that this war must stop, and the massacres must stop.

This makes us say, “Israel will pay a political price that it has not paid during its occupation of Palestine for 75 years,” and this is due to several reasons:

1. The crimes that occurred in Gaza by the occupation, the destruction, the killing of children, and the targeting of schools, hospitals, shelters, and UNRWA centers, and all of this is prohibited under international law.
2. Cutting off food, medicine, electricity, and water from the Gaza Strip. These are all war crimes and crimes against humanity.
3. Communications and social media, especially among young people who had not heard about the Palestine issue previously, 10 or 15 years ago, when communications had not reached the level it has reached today.

• Will the northern front witness an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah?

In my estimation, I do not think that Hezbollah and the occupation army want to clash at this stage. We may witness some kind of escalation, but there will not be a comprehensive war between the two fronts, “because there is no direct interest for Iran and Hezbollah in this war,” and perhaps because the general assessment is that This is not the final war, and Israel also does not want to open another escalation front until it destroys Gaza as much as it can, and it is not in its interest to do so, especially with the decline in political support in the last two days.

There is another reading that says that Israel is trying to provoke Hezbollah, especially with the presence of the American aircraft carrier and battleships in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the massive political and material support provided to it in this war, and therefore it “wants to finish off the two arch enemies at once,” and this is what it calls for. It has some study centers in Israel.