Escalation of Palestinian Resistance: A Setback for Israel’s Military Objectives

Israeli reports confirmed that the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades resumed launching rockets from various sites within Gaza, after a hiatus of several months due to repeated attacks by the occupation, which targeted rocket manufacturing sites and tunnels. However, Israeli security sources indicated that the resistance succeeded in producing hundreds of rockets using new lathes introduced into the existing tunnels, which came as a major surprise to the Israeli army, which believed it had succeeded in crippling Hamas’s military manufacturing capacity.

Despite more than 15 months having passed since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the resistance has not retreated but continued to develop its military capabilities, returning with intensive rocket strikes targeting settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip, prompting the Israeli army to take emergency measures.

The Israeli military leadership asked tens of thousands of settlers who had been evacuated from areas adjacent to Gaza at the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, not to return to their homes, which caused a growing internal crisis for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, as these settlers are still living in hotels at the government’s expense, with ongoing demands for their security or return to their homes.

The continuous escalation and the occupation’s inability to contain the Palestinian resistance represents a strategic failure for the Israeli army, which had aimed to eliminate Hamas‘s military infrastructure. Instead, it finds itself facing a new reality, where the resistance is adapting to the circumstances and rebuilding its strength despite the siege and intense bombing.