December 25, 2023 | The Jerusalem Post
Hamas, Yahya Sinwar defiant, 80 days into war
In his first statement since the war began, Sinwar claimed that the IDF had suffered heavy losses.
December 25, 2023 | The Jerusalem Post
Hamas, Yahya Sinwar defiant, 80 days into war
In his first statement since the war began, Sinwar claimed that the IDF had suffered heavy losses.
Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar broke his silence on Monday, putting out a message which was reported by several outlets, including the Houthi media’s Al-Masirah. According to the report, Sinwar sent the message to members of the Hamas political bureau. Sinwar claimed that his Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza had destroyed Israeli forces and waged a tough battle against Israel. He also claimed Israel had suffered heavy losses.
The report at Al-Masirah claimed that Sinwar had said Israel suffered 5,000 casualties and lost 750 vehicles. None of this has any basis in reality. It is an attempt by Hamas to try to create some kind of parity with Israel’s claims that around 7,800 terrorists have been killed in Gaza.
What is the point of Sinwar speaking out now, after 80 days of war? He wants to show that Hamas continues to be able to function and carry out operations. This comes amid reports that Hamas has transitioned to smaller unit tactics and that its brigades, broken down in some sectors by heavy fighting, are going underground and seeking to create a kind of “guerilla war” in Gaza. This would mean a more complex battlefield and less contact with the enemy.
In addition it is designed to draw Israel in, just as the West is pressuring Israel to transition to low intensity conflict and transition to an end of major combat operations. Various reports have also suggested that Sinwar and other Hamas leaders could go into exile in exchange for some kind of deal to end the fighting. Clearly Sinwar wants to show he has no intention of doing this, or at least he wants to claim victory before he considers such an operation.
Hamas official claims Israel’s strategy to defeat Hamas has collapsed
Osama Hamdan, another Hamas official, was quoted at Al-Masirah as claiming that Israel’s strategy to defeat Hamas has collapsed. The Hamas officials can also read the reports suggesting rising international pressure on Israel. However, other reports note that there is maneuvering in Egypt, the UAE, and other countries regarding issues in Gaza.
Clearly Hamas is trying to showcase a defiant face as time goes by. It has been pummeled underground. But it continues to hold ground and it still has forces in Gaza, as many as 10,000 or more operatives and terrorists remain. This is why it continues to reject more deals and has put out various statements to regional media, indicating to Iran and Iran’s proxies in Yemen and others that it will continue the war.
Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.