Military and strategic expert Fayez al-Duwairi said that the occurrence of an Israeli force in a tight ambush after crossing the border fence with the Gaza Strip - on Sunday - carries great significance and confirms the readiness of the resistance for an integrated defensive battle for every meter in the Strip.
Al-Duwairi considered – during his military analysis of Al-Jazeera – that the response of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), to the Israeli force that penetrated meters east of Khan Yunis, is expected, successful and not surprising, revealing that this force was either for reconnaissance and pulse testing or obtaining information or other confirmation in preparation for the ground battle.
Al-Duwairi stopped at the bulldozer used by the incursive force, and pointed out that it has been modified and multiple layers of glass have been added, pointing out that Israel is the only country that uses this bulldozer with the attack forces, as it handles the process of building roads in front of tanks.
He pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements, in which he said that the battle for Gaza is "life or death" for Israel, calling on al-Qassam and the rest of the resistance factions as more than "life or death."
Merkava shielding
As for the Merkava tank in the Gaza envelope, Duwairi said that it was shielded - like Ukraine did to counter the Russian attack - using protective plates, and that it is an Israeli industry and is one of the most armored tanks in the world.
Accordingly, the Merkava is considered "a battle tank, a personnel carrier, and it has a strong armor from the front, and armored vehicles from both sides, but weak from the top."
Therefore, Israel shielded this tank for fear of commercial Qassam drones, which were modified and equipped with RPG-7s to fall from above.
Regarding the ground operation, the military expert reiterated that it will be concentrated in the northern Gaza Strip and the northeast, with a supporting attack in the areas of Deir al-Balah and a supporting attack from Khan Yunis, reinforced by a naval attack and airdrops, and stressed the importance of the defending forces retaining these areas, because they will be a turning point in the opposite direction in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Delayed ground incursion
He denied that the old Israeli incursions would be repeated in the upcoming ground operation, and indicated that they were in different circumstances through the incursion and withdrawal, while there will currently be an incursion and then developed to enter deeper.
Regarding the adjacent ground build-up on the Gaza border, al-Duwairi said that any ground operation has been subject since World War II to a process of mobilization, then building the force operationally and logistically, then gathering areas and arranging the force to take the position of movement, before setting off to the advanced areas before the clashes.
He expressed his belief that there are incomplete Israeli measures that have delayed its ground incursion into Gaza, such as shielding the Merkava, stressing that the most important point is that Tel Aviv is not in a hurry and wants to prolong the period of attrition with the resistance "because when ground operations begin, losses will begin in the ranks of the Israeli army."