After nine months since the outbreak of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, the Palestinian Resistance continues to fend off Israeli occupation forces entrenched in various parts of the Gaza Strip, inflicting additional losses amid warnings that the IOF are becoming increasingly fatigued from prolonged combat.
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that it targeted an Israeli Merkava 4 tank with an al-Yassin 105 charge on Baghdad Street in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Additionally, the al-Qassam Brigades hit another Merkava tank and an Israeli armored personnel carrier with al-Yassin-105s in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. A third Merkava 4 tank was targeted with a Shawaz explosive device near the Abdullah bin Omar Mosque in the same area.
Simultaneously, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, shelled Israeli soldiers and their equipment in al-Shujaiya using mortars.
In western Rafah, the al-Quds Brigades engaged in fierce confrontations with Israeli troops, employing anti-armor and appropriate weaponry, and targeted Israeli soldiers stationed at and around the Rafah Crossing with mortars.
In another incident, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades bombarded Israeli armored vehicle concentrations with mortars in al-Shujaiya. In Netzarim, southwest of Gaza City, they targeted Israeli military positions with a barrage of 107mm rockets and heavy mortars and engaged in intense skirmishes with Israeli forces using suitable weapons in western Rafah.
Furthermore, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), bombarded entrenched Israeli forces in al-Shujaiya with 60mm mortars.
Israeli aggression bogged down by shortages
As talks of Israeli aggression against Lebanon gain traction in occupation circles, fears grow over the readiness and stockpiles of Israeli occupation forces.
According to a Saturday report by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, the occupation’s military is experiencing a “really dangerous” situation, in which it suffers from shortages affecting various equipment.
As pointed out in Channel 12‘s report, the Israeli military command has been denying such claims in the past week, however, a recent extensive internal investigation has proven otherwise.
Israeli regular, reserve, and volunteer forces complained to the broadcaster of shortages affecting essential military gear, including ballistic armor, helmets, optical sights, and bomb suits, all of which are considered to be life-saving equipment.
Despite the shortage of individual gear among Israeli soldiers, a more dangerous scenario has come into effect. The broadcaster revealed that the status of the armory in a single Israeli formation led to drastically different results on the battlefield.
According to the report, Israeli military equipment, which includes armored vehicles and tanks, is subject to different standards, as some gear and systems are not up to the general quality of military-grade equipment.
In a recent report published by Maariv, shocking news regarding the losses suffered by Israeli armored forces emerged. The newspaper said that 500 armored vehicles, of various types, suffered damages since October 7, 2023. The lackluster Zelda M113 armored personnel carrier (APC) has been more heavily deployed by occupation forces in the Gaza Strip and has also been seen near the border with Lebanon.
In comparison to the weak armor of the M113, the Israeli Namer APC features an armored hull based on the design of the main battle Merkava 4 tank, shedding light on the huge gap between various Israeli equipment and systems.
