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Hamas 'Remains Intact' Despite Israeli Operation in Gaza

© AFP 2023 / JACK GUEZA picture taken from Israel's southern city of Sderot shows flares dropped by Israeli forces above the north of the Gaza Strip, on October 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
A picture taken from Israel's southern city of Sderot shows flares dropped by Israeli forces above the north of the Gaza Strip, on October 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.11.2023
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Tel Aviv has not achieved substantial results since the launch of its ground operation, stressed Mouin Rabbani, an independent writer and analyst specializing in Palestinian affairs, senior fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies, and contributing editor to the Middle East Report.
Rabbani told Sputnik that despite the fact that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been advancing in the Gaza Strip, they are still encountering fierce resistance.
Although the IDF claims to have entered Gaza City, the Israeli military is struggling to operate even in the border areas, which has supposedly been under Israeli control since the very first days of the ground operation launched on October 27, according to the analyst.

"We do know that Israeli forces are still encountering resistance in the border areas where they first entered the Gaza Strip some 10 days ago, and it seems reasonable to assume they are facing greater resistance within Gaza City," Rabbani stated.

Волонтеры у пункта пропуска Рафах на границе Египта и Газы  - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.11.2023
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Thus, the analyst drew a line between "incursions" and "advance," casting doubt on the military significance of the Israeli "advance," considering the lack of control over the occupied areas, which are teeming with Hamas fighters.

"While it is clear that Israeli forces are successfully moving deeper into Gaza City, it remains unclear to what extent these are incursions as opposed to advances that have established actual control. On the one hand, Israeli forces are clearly advancing, on the other, its military significance remains unclear," the analyst stated.

Rabbani also stressed the insignificance of capturing civil buildings in terms of military operations, responding to a question on the importance of the Israeli forces securing the residence of Gaza’s governor. According to him, it only serves as a political symbol meant for Israeli society.

"The Israeli military's presence in key locations such as those you mention is indisputably of symbolic political value but its military utility is marginal. The governor's residence, legislative council etc. are not important military sites, or indeed military sites at all. These actions are related more to Israel's vow to eliminate Hamas's capacity to govern the Gaza Strip," Rabbani emphasized.

People salvage some belongings from a damaged building following Israeli bombing on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 11, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.11.2023
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Commenting on Hamas' ability to continue fighting, the analyst stressed that the militant group has not been destroyed. Furthermore, despite having sustained losses, Hamas is still able to launch strikes at distant Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, which raises the question of the effectiveness of the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.

"From what I can observe, Hamas's command and control capacities, its ability to fire rockets at distant cities like Tel Aviv, its ability to continue attacking advancing Israeli forces, is unaffected. I can't imagine it has not been degraded and suffered losses, perhaps significantly so. But as a fighting organization it remains intact," Rabbani stated.

On October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a large-scale surprise rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of food, water, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
This image grab from an AFP TV footage shows balls of fire and smoke rising above Gaza City during an Israeli strike on October 27, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.11.2023
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The conflict has resulted in the death of around 1,400 people in Israel and over 11,000 in the Gaza Strip.
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