Palestinian Resistance fighters continue to defend Rafah for 30th day

Palestinian Resistance fighters continue to engage invading Israeli occupation forces in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, Rafah, on the 244nd day of war on Gaza. 

Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades targeted an Israeli military-grade bulldozer and two Merkava tanks with locally-produced al-Yassin tandem rocket-propelled grenades, in the Yebnah section of the Rafah refugee camp. 

Al-Qassam fighters returning from the frontlines reported that they engaged occupation soldiers in al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City. 

Fighters lured an Israeli infantry force, consisting of 15 soldiers, to a building that had been booby-trapped with several explosives, including an anti-personnel improvised explosive device (IED). As soon as the force arrived at the point of the ambush the explosives were detonated and a thermobaric RPG round was launched at the force, killing and injuring several Israeli soldiers. 

As a result, Israeli reinforcements were mobilized and sent to the scene, which allowed al-Qassam fighters to fire an al-Yassin round at a Merkava tank, directly impacting it. 

Several other Palestinian Resistance factions defended against the Israeli invasion, such as al-Mujahideen Brigades whose fighters launched a man-portable surface-to-air missile at an Israeli attack drone flying over the city of Rafah, forcing it to turn away from the area. 

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) al-Quds Brigades fighters fired a 107 mm rocket artillery shell, which was directly aimed at groupings of Israeli occupation soldiers in southwestern Rafah.

Further north, Palestinian Resistance fighters continue to target occupation forces positioned in the Netzarim Axis which splits the northern Gaza Strip from the rest of the besieged territory. 

Al-Quds Brigades mortar units targeted the Israeli occupation forces in the area with large-caliber mortar rounds, while the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (DFLP) National Resistance Brigades also launched its own mortar attack in coordination with al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fighter. 

Palestinian Resistance maintains its military operations in every area

The Guardian reported on the continuous presence of Resistance fighters in areas from which the Israeli occupation had invaded the Gaza Strip.

“We do have to remember there are more Hamas armed people in the north of Gaza in the places that the IDF has already moved out of than … in Rafah … Those are the IDF’s numbers. This is why the IDF had to go back into Jabaliya and … Zeitoun. Hamas is controlling all those areas,” Eyal Hulata, former head of the Israeli Security Council, said.

Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have consistently argued that their ongoing invasion in Rafah, despite substantial opposition from various allies, aims to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities and release captives. Yet, the battle in Jabalia between lightly armed Hamas militants and far superior Israeli occupation forces highlighted the resilience of Hamas, which can regenerate its capabilities in parts of Gaza previously “cleared” by Israelis.

This according to experts suggests that confrontation on the basis of completely dismantling Hamas threatens months or years-long conflict of a never-ending loop of fighting and withdrawals to no avail.