Andrew Grossman
The Palestinian resistance has defeated the Zionist army in multiple battles since Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire with the resistance in March this year.
The pace of resistance operations was slower in the last three months than in previous stages of the war because the Israeli Defense Forces had not yet entered into built-up areas and was instead sitting in their “buffer zones” within and around Gaza while bombing and starving civilians as part of their genocidal strategy. The IDF is nevertheless penetrating into some areas with ground forces, launching probing operations and attempts to seize ground in Gaza with their “Gideon’s Chariot” operation.
In early May, the “Breaking the Sword” series of ambushes in Rafah killed and wounded multiple IDF soldiers and disabled or destroyed multiple vehicles sent to relieve the soldiers. The resistance used their tunnel network to emerge behind the initial ambush point, repositioning to strike the reinforcing Zionists.
And in late April, Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades released footage of the “Lions of Muntar Ambush” in Sujaiyeh, the birthplace of the armed force. The IDF admitted this was the toughest battle against the resistance since they restarted the war in March, saying that 5 “cells” of resistance fighters emerged from tunnels all around them. This ambush thwarted an incursion by undercover Israeli forces attempting to set up their own ambush point, revealing that well-functioning surveillance, intelligence, and command-and-control remains with the resistance, as well as the resistance’s continued use of appropriate weaponry—including anti-armor and anti-personnel RPGs, small arms, sniper rifles, and remote-detonated bombs.
Aside from these complex ambushes, the resistance has carried out continual sniper, bombing, mortar, and rocket strikes against the Zionists since March.
“Gideon’s Chariot” seeks to push all of Gaza’s people south through massacres, starvation, and the enticement of limited US-Israeli “relief” supplies, with Israel now placing the recovery of their “hostages” third in importance behind occupying all of Gaza and defeating the resistance. This is a continuation of the failed “General’s Plan” to clear northern Gaza of Palestinian people from early 2025.
After almost two years of defeats suffered at the hands of the Palestinian national resistance, Israeli Army Radio has admitted this month that the Zionists are having trouble marshaling sufficient ground forces for Netanyahu’s declared intent of occupying all of Gaza and cleansing it of all Palestinians, hinting at the reason for the slow pace of the renewed ground invasion. Israeli national broadcaster Kan reports that 60% or less of reservists called to duty have shown up. Meanwhile, Israeli and American military analysts admit that the resistance numbers about the same if not more than it did before Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
While maintaining its blackout on news of the resistance, monopoly media has admitted Israel’s failing strategy. On May 14, The New York Times published an article commenting on Israel’s claims—unverified by Hamas—that they killed Muhammad Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar’s brother, in an airstrike. The Times admits that the assassination, if it did take place, would change little in the balance of the war.
For its part, Ansar Allah, the Yemeni resistance, has extended its blockade of Israel to include the Mediterranean port of Haifa on May 20. Ansar Allah’s blockade in solidarity with the Palestinian national cause has already completely halted all traffic in the Israeli Eilat Red Sea port, and they have likewise imposed an air blockade on all airports in Israel until the aggression against Gaza stops. Months of US-Zionist bombings have failed to break or even slow the pace of the Yemeni resistance.
Photo: An Israeli tank is targeted by al-Qassam Brigades in early May as part of their Gates of Hell series of ambushes. Screengrab from footage released by al-Qassam Brigades.
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