The resistance in the Gaza Strip continues to fiercely confront Israeli occupation forces in the region as the conflict enters its 314th day, part of the ongoing Operation al-Aqsa Flood. The Resistance has reportedly inflicted significant losses on the Israeli military.
The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ), targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their vehicles near al-Maari School and al-Semeri neighborhood, northeast of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The attack involved a barrage of mortar shells.
Following the strike, the al-Quds Brigades reported that an Israeli helicopter landed at the scene to evacuate the wounded soldiers amid a heavy exchange of artillery fire.
In a coordinated operation, the al-Quds Brigades and the Abdul Qader al-Husseini Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement in Gaza, launched 107mm rockets at Israeli assembly points near the Netzarim area, southwest of Gaza City.
The al-Quds Brigades’ media wing released footage showing two Israeli tanks being hit by RPG shells south of Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah in southern Gaza.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades also struck an Israeli command and control center and targeted groups of soldiers and vehicles in the Netzarim area with 107mm rockets.
Additionally, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades published footage of their attack on Israeli forces and vehicles in the Qarara area, northeast of Khan Younis, using heavy-caliber mortar shells.
Earlier, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, targeted the main concentration of Israeli forces at the Mars military site with short-range Rajoom rockets. The al-Qassam Brigades also launched a suicide drone towards Israeli assembly points east of Khan Younis.
Maximum military advancement achieved
Senior American officials believe that “Israel” has achieved the maximum it can militarily in Gaza, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes increasingly endangering civilians while offering limited prospects of further weakening the Hamas movement in the Strip, The New York Times reported.
The newspaper highlighted that as US President Joe Biden’s administration intensifies efforts to revive ceasefire talks, a growing number of national security officials assert that while the Israeli military has “severely set back Hamas,” it is unlikely to completely eliminate the Palestinian group.
It cited both current and former American and Israeli officials as suggesting that one of “Israel’s” key objectives, which is the retrieval of around 115 captives still held in Gaza since October 7, cannot be achieved through military means.
“Israel has been able to disrupt Hamas, kill a number of their leaders, and largely reduce the threat to Israel that existed before Oct. 7,” indicated Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the former head of US Central Command, in an interview for The Times, claiming that Hamas has been “diminished”.
However, Votel noted that the release of the remaining Israeli captives could be secured only through negotiations.
The New York Times said the latest US assessment emerges as Biden administration officials are engaged in diplomatic efforts across the region, seeking to secure a ceasefire agreement and prevent a potential retaliatory strike by Iran and its allies, following recent Israeli assassinations against commanders and leaders.
The Financial Times cited a diplomat familiar with the discussions as saying that the primary challenge lies in whether the US can persuade Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to take his wins and back down” from his additional demands.
“Everyone knows what Netanyahu doesn’t want but no one knows what he wants,” another informed source indicated.
“One of the messages the officials are expected to deliver is that there is little more Israel can accomplish against Hamas,” NYT mentioned.
