Politics Riots in Gaza and Israel

[BCNTM]

No victory picture for Israel in Gaza​

This operation was supposed to be the jewel in Israel’s crown, the result of impressive, painstaking intelligence collection mapping out the vast network of Hamas tunnels in the northern section of the Gaza Strip, including the fortified, fully equipped bomb shelter for the organization’s leadership. The Islamist group had little idea that everything it was digging underground over the years was being documented by Israeli intelligence in order to compile a bank of bombing targets for future use. Israel had also devised a series of sophisticated ruses designed to force Hamas commanders to flee underground into what the military was dubbing the “metro,” where they would be buried by heavy bombs bringing the tunnels crashing down on their heads.

On May 13-14, one of Israel’s top brass made what would turn out to be a hasty decision. The military launched its deception maneuver, which included spreading rumors of an imminent Israeli ground offensive in northern Gaza. The rumors were bolstered by the spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who issued an official announcement in the pre-dawn hours of May 14 broadly hinting at such an operation. The idea was to lure all the Hamas leaders into the tunnels where they would prepare to take on the invading enemy forces, allowing Israel to bomb them all.

Hamas, however, did not fall for the ruse. Its Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, head of its military wing Mohammed al-Deif, his deputy Marwan Issa and others did not believe the IDF would be launching a ground offensive and risk the lives of many soldiers just days after starting its relatively surgical aerial and artillery bombing campaign. Instead of hundreds of Hamas leaders, commanders and fighters rushing into the tunnels, only a few dozen hunkered down there. As of this writing, it is still unclear how many were killed, but the meticulous plan the IDF had prepared appears to have been wasted. The tunnels have caved in under the force of the depth charges, but those who ordered their digging are very much alive.

The IDF is trying to look at the “bright” side. The way IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi sees it, Israel has deprived Hamas of its strategic underground assets. Before the start of what Israel has codenamed Operation Guardian of the Walls on May 10, Hamas believed its people could find refuge when the time came in the underground city it had built at tremendous expense over the past decade. However, precision Israeli munitions demolished this safe space, based on equally precise intelligence. The Hamas underground option is no more.

While this is a strategic achievement, it is not the photo being sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz encapsulating in no uncertain terms Israel’s victory over the terrorist organization. The tunnel debris is not littered with the bodies of Hamas leaders and commanders. Gaza’s famed tunnel builders will rebuild the underground fortifications in years to come, possibly trying to reenforce them in the vain hope of protecting them from the bunker-busting munitions of the Israeli air force. Either way, Israel has undoubtedly wasted its strategic plan to deal a historic knockout to Hamas simply because someone was in too much of a rush to score that elusive victory photo.

Who, then, will be crowned the winner of this current round between Israel and Gaza? Depends whom you ask and how you look at it. The IDF’s performance has undoubtedly been effective, destroying the “metro” and part of the Hamas missile-launching capacities, assassinating six top military commanders, sinking the small fleet of tiny unmanned submarines designed to explode under or near Israeli navy vessels and/or Israeli offshore oil and gas drilling rigs. The IDF has also destroyed a significant part of the Hamas missile production facilities and thwarted its ability to execute terror attacks against Israel from the sea (using its subs or navy commando units), the air (using exploding drones) or on land (Israel thwarted the infiltration of an elite Hamas unit through a tunnel shortly before it launched a raid inside Israel, killing the fighters).

Israel is buoyed by its success in depriving Hamas of another strategic weapon — its array of tunnels leading into Israel, which has been blocked by a state-of-the-art underground barrier dug along the Gaza border in recent years. Much to its frustration, Hamas finds itself deprived of most of its offensive options, left with “only” its rocket capabilities. But in the face of the impressive Iron Dome missile defense system Israel has deployed and upgraded over the past decade, intercepting the majority of Hamas rockets, the organization has responded with improved capabilities of its own. The makeshift holes it used to dig in order to position its rocket launchers in the past have been replaced with stationary and mobile batteries of multiple launchers that challenge the Iron Dome interceptors with their simultaneous firing and sheer numbers. The rockets themselves are sturdier, heavier and more precise.

Israel is now facing a relatively simple problem: Whereas it has recorded a series of tactical military achievements, Hamas has scored several historic gains, each of which constitutes a so-called victory photo. It fired six missiles at Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, cutting short a Knesset debate and sending lawmakers fleeing for cover, humiliating Israeli democracy for all the world to see. It has pitted Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel against each other, setting off days of anarchy, and it is having some success in triggering anti-Israel violence by Palestinians in the West Bank. To top it off, Hamas has taken its revenge on the cancellation of the Palestinian elections this month (that it was widely expected to win), and it has eclipsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, undermining his hold on power and crowning itself the savior of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines.

No victory picture for Israel in Gaza

The IDF success in destroying Gaza underground infrastructure cannot erase photos of Hamas rockets reaching Tel Aviv.

www.al-monitor.com

You believe this guff - what have Hamas gained? Apart from a good slapping and are now crying for a ceasefire

Will get another slapping overnight and again tomorrow until Israel feel its objective have been achieved

It's like watching a seal pup getting beaten over the head by a guy with a big club

 

[Mardonius]

You believe this guff - what have Hamas gained? Apart from a good slapping and are now crying for a ceasefire

Will get another slapping overnight and again tomorrow until Israel feel its objective have been achieved

It's like watching a seal pup getting beaten over the head by a guy with a big club

What has Hamas lost that they can't recover?

In the meanwhile, they have scored a political victory. Undermining Israel's image; countering Israel's recent normalization agreements; increasing their standing in the region and in the West Bank; presenting themselves as the defenders of Al-Aqsa; etc.

 

[Chazman]

It's like watching a seal pup getting beaten over the head by a guy with a big club

Yes, but the baby seal with the cracked skull is winning!!!

 

[BCNTM]

What did Hamas lose that they can't rebuild?

In the meanwhile, they have scored a political victory. Undermining Israel's image; countering Israel's recent normalization agreements; increasing their standing in the region and in the West Bank; presenting themselves as the defenders of Al-Aqsa; etc.

Have they recruited Victor Frankenstein?

 

[BCNTM]

Yes, but the baby seal with the cracked skull is winning!!!

Only in Mardy's world ? ?

 

[morris]

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[morris]

What has Hamas lost that they can't recover?

What can the beggars lose?

 

[Telmar]

What has Hamas lost that they can't recover?

In the meanwhile, they have scored a political victory. Undermining Israel's image; countering Israel's recent normalization agreements; increasing their standing in the region and in the West Bank; presenting themselves as the defenders of Al-Aqsa; etc.

This rethoric is not new, it' s repeated at each confrontation between hamas and Israel and it never goes beyond.

And this time they took a more serious beating than they usually do.

Any Arab looking up to that bunch of murderous yahoos is an imbecil. Unfortunately, as I said previously, many Palestinians are uninsightful to say the least.

 

[morris]

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Under international law, a civilian structure is a legitimate military target when used for military purposes. The Hamas terrorist organization chooses to use civilian structures for its military purposes and often launches rockets from densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.

On May 18, 2021, the ninth day of Operation Guardian of the Walls, we operated to strike a concealed rocket launcher in a civilian structure in Gaza. Out of concern for the safety of non-combatants, we warned civilians in the building and in surrounding buildings about the strike, giving them enough time to evacuate before we struck the rocket launcher.

 

[morris]

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In just 24 hours (May 18-19, 2021), IDF aircraft struck Hamas aerial defense compounds as well as a large number of Hamas multi-barrel rocket launch sites which were aimed to fire rockets at Israel.

 

[Picanha]

What has Hamas lost that they can't recover?

In the meanwhile, they have scored a political victory. Undermining Israel's image; countering Israel's recent normalization agreements; increasing their standing in the region and in the West Bank; presenting themselves as the defenders of Al-Aqsa; etc.

Wow what an achievement. Only colour blinds do not see the real reasoning. Eternal conflict, the next round is waiting. Rinse and repeat.

They do not really have an objective as their raison d'être is actually to disproportionally stir S**t up and then play the victim card.

It's time to cut the whole area off of foreign funding and let those terror groups provide the bread.

Ist a very annoying vicious circle.

 

[Picanha]

A funny thing are also all those western media comments from the papers leading chief editors relativating events and presenting both sides as equally culpable.

I would like to know what they would do if a volley of terror rockets would have been launched on their residential areas, due to some legal housing dispute.

 

[BCNTM]

A funny thing are also all those western media comments from the papers leading chief editors relativating events and presenting both sides as equally culpable.

I would like to know what they would do if a volley of terror rockets would have been launched on their residential areas, due to some legal housing dispute.

RT is even more bias it just bangs on about the evil Jews bombing and killing innocent women and children

To be honest al jazeera has had more balanced reporting than the mainstream English media - probably don't want their new offices flattening

 

[Mardonius]

Wow what an achievement. Only colour blinds do not see the real reasoning. Eternal conflict, the next round is waiting. Rinse and repeat.

They do not really have an objective as their raison d'être is actually to disproportionally stir S**t up and then play the victim card.

It's time to cut the whole area off of foreign funding and let those terror groups provide the bread.

Ist a very annoying vicious circle.

I understand why it frustrates and confuses people in the West. This type of warfare applies to completely different cultural standards and dynamics than what you guys are familiar with. It's constant political posturing and signalling, with actors involved in the background that have their own (long-term) interests.

For all my (often exaggerated) criticism on Israel, I find the Israelis to have a good grasp at what they're up against and strategic acumen.

 

[Mardonius]

Israel warns Iran allies are learning how to fight IDF in widening conflict​

An Israel Defense Forces official speaking to Newsweek has warned that the country's Arab neighbors and Iran-aligned militias operating from within these nations and across the region are studying how the IDF wages its war in Gaza in the event these forces become engaged in their own conflict with Israel.

Israel has rolled out land, air and sea capabilities in its ongoing battle with Gaza-based movements such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which continue to fire thousands of rockets despite the bombardment. The worst conflict in years has wrought devastation and drawn international attention, some of it unwanted from the perspective of Israel, a country with an existential history of fighting multi-front wars.

"I think that all the countries and different terror organizations, of course led by Iran, that surround us, they look at this conflict, and they want to learn, learn about the IDF, its capabilities, its defense capabilities, its aerial and naval capabilities," an IDF official told Newsweek. "It's not surprising that all the eyes of the world are watching, and all the eyes of the terror organizations are watching the Gaza Strip."

As Israel's fourth major confrontation in Gaza continued to erupt, signs of unrest have already broken out along Israel's other nearby flashpoints.

Rockets fired Wednesday from southern Lebanon were intercepted by the advanced Iron Dome defense system near the Israeli city of Acre, marking the third such launch from across the northern border over the past week. On Friday, rockets reached Israeli territory from Syria, coming across yet another hostile border.

Neither incident resulted in any reported damage, but the implications were clear: nearby forces were reminding Israel that they too could strike at any time. Even closer to home, a spate of attacks conducted by Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank in solidarity with fighters in Gaza signal another worrisome development for a nation besieged by foes.

"Specifically, the IDF is, of course, focused right now on the Gaza Strip, but we never forget that we have other fronts as well," the IDF official said, "either the Lebanese or Syrian front or the Judea and Samaria West Bank front, and the other farther fronts, and the IDF is always on guard on all the fronts."

The IDF official issued a warning to those trying to take advantage of the considerable resources Israel was dedicating to its fight in Gaza.

"I think it will be a mistake from their side to try and test us when we are focused on the Gaza Strip," the IDF official said. "We have the capabilities to defend ourselves, even with multiple arenas, even if we're very much focused right now on the Gaza Strip and the Gaza conflict."

Israel Warns Iran Allies Are Learning How to Fight IDF in Widening Conflict

"I think that all the countries and different terror organizations, of course led by Iran, that surround us, they look at this conflict, and they want to learn," an Israel Defense Forces official told Newsweek.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Mardonius]

Al-Jazeera: Israel has informed Egypt it’s willing to end Gaza operation

Israel has informed Egypt — which is mediating a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas — that it is willing to halt its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reports.

Al-Jazeera: Israel has informed Egypt it’s willing to end Gaza operation

* * *

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Mike1976]

A funny thing are also all those western media comments from the papers leading chief editors relativating events and presenting both sides as equally culpable.

I would like to know what they would do if a volley of terror rockets would have been launched on their residential areas, due to some legal housing dispute.

Apologize for their white privilege.

For the same reason American and European conservatives on Twitter are banned while sunni muslims are free to call for the genocide of shia muslims with impunity. In English. Because muslims killing muslims is ok, but if an infidel does it the media and western politicians afraid of their electorate cry wolf with muslims rallying to protest. ISIS butchering it's way through the Levant? Yeah there were muslims protesting ... supporting ISIS.

RT is even more bias it just bangs on about the evil Jews bombing and killing innocent women and children

To be honest al jazeera has had more balanced reporting than the mainstream English media - probably don't want their new offices flattening

Wait Al-Jazeera has a new office?!? Please give me this address so I can forward it to the Mossad to redirect their packages

I wonder how much it costs to ship a 1000lbs package ...

 

[Ivan le Fou]

I wonder how much it costs to ship a 1000lbs package ...

Does Home Depot make discounts on stamps?

 

[Mike1976]

Does Home Depot make discounts on stamps?

When the package leaves the Depot the Home will be as flat as a stamp ...

 

[Fluff]

No victory picture for Israel in Gaza​

This operation was supposed to be the jewel in Israel’s crown, the result of impressive, painstaking intelligence collection mapping out the vast network of Hamas tunnels in the northern section of the Gaza Strip, including the fortified, fully equipped bomb shelter for the organization’s leadership. The Islamist group had little idea that everything it was digging underground over the years was being documented by Israeli intelligence in order to compile a bank of bombing targets for future use. Israel had also devised a series of sophisticated ruses designed to force Hamas commanders to flee underground into what the military was dubbing the “metro,” where they would be buried by heavy bombs bringing the tunnels crashing down on their heads.

On May 13-14, one of Israel’s top brass made what would turn out to be a hasty decision. The military launched its deception maneuver, which included spreading rumors of an imminent Israeli ground offensive in northern Gaza. The rumors were bolstered by the spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who issued an official announcement in the pre-dawn hours of May 14 broadly hinting at such an operation. The idea was to lure all the Hamas leaders into the tunnels where they would prepare to take on the invading enemy forces, allowing Israel to bomb them all.

Hamas, however, did not fall for the ruse. Its Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, head of its military wing Mohammed al-Deif, his deputy Marwan Issa and others did not believe the IDF would be launching a ground offensive and risk the lives of many soldiers just days after starting its relatively surgical aerial and artillery bombing campaign. Instead of hundreds of Hamas leaders, commanders and fighters rushing into the tunnels, only a few dozen hunkered down there. As of this writing, it is still unclear how many were killed, but the meticulous plan the IDF had prepared appears to have been wasted. The tunnels have caved in under the force of the depth charges, but those who ordered their digging are very much alive.

The IDF is trying to look at the “bright” side. The way IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi sees it, Israel has deprived Hamas of its strategic underground assets. Before the start of what Israel has codenamed Operation Guardian of the Walls on May 10, Hamas believed its people could find refuge when the time came in the underground city it had built at tremendous expense over the past decade. However, precision Israeli munitions demolished this safe space, based on equally precise intelligence. The Hamas underground option is no more.

While this is a strategic achievement, it is not the photo being sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz encapsulating in no uncertain terms Israel’s victory over the terrorist organization. The tunnel debris is not littered with the bodies of Hamas leaders and commanders. Gaza’s famed tunnel builders will rebuild the underground fortifications in years to come, possibly trying to reenforce them in the vain hope of protecting them from the bunker-busting munitions of the Israeli air force. Either way, Israel has undoubtedly wasted its strategic plan to deal a historic knockout to Hamas simply because someone was in too much of a rush to score that elusive victory photo.

Who, then, will be crowned the winner of this current round between Israel and Gaza? Depends whom you ask and how you look at it. The IDF’s performance has undoubtedly been effective, destroying the “metro” and part of the Hamas missile-launching capacities, assassinating six top military commanders, sinking the small fleet of tiny unmanned submarines designed to explode under or near Israeli navy vessels and/or Israeli offshore oil and gas drilling rigs. The IDF has also destroyed a significant part of the Hamas missile production facilities and thwarted its ability to execute terror attacks against Israel from the sea (using its subs or navy commando units), the air (using exploding drones) or on land (Israel thwarted the infiltration of an elite Hamas unit through a tunnel shortly before it launched a raid inside Israel, killing the fighters).

Israel is buoyed by its success in depriving Hamas of another strategic weapon — its array of tunnels leading into Israel, which has been blocked by a state-of-the-art underground barrier dug along the Gaza border in recent years. Much to its frustration, Hamas finds itself deprived of most of its offensive options, left with “only” its rocket capabilities. But in the face of the impressive Iron Dome missile defense system Israel has deployed and upgraded over the past decade, intercepting the majority of Hamas rockets, the organization has responded with improved capabilities of its own. The makeshift holes it used to dig in order to position its rocket launchers in the past have been replaced with stationary and mobile batteries of multiple launchers that challenge the Iron Dome interceptors with their simultaneous firing and sheer numbers. The rockets themselves are sturdier, heavier and more precise.

Israel is now facing a relatively simple problem: Whereas it has recorded a series of tactical military achievements, Hamas has scored several historic gains, each of which constitutes a so-called victory photo. It fired six missiles at Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, cutting short a Knesset debate and sending lawmakers fleeing for cover, humiliating Israeli democracy for all the world to see. It has pitted Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel against each other, setting off days of anarchy, and it is having some success in triggering anti-Israel violence by Palestinians in the West Bank. To top it off, Hamas has taken its revenge on the cancellation of the Palestinian elections this month (that it was widely expected to win), and it has eclipsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, undermining his hold on power and crowning itself the savior of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines.

No victory picture for Israel in Gaza

The IDF success in destroying Gaza underground infrastructure cannot erase photos of Hamas rockets reaching Tel Aviv.

www.al-monitor.com

So the Maginot line is destroyed, but most of the french infantry survived, and this is a victory? What does defeat look like?