[News] Is the Gaza Resistance diminishing?

Sat Mar 2 12:25:50 EST 2024

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/is-the-gaza-resistance-diminishing>
Is the Gaza Resistance diminishing?
Tim Anderson
March 2, 2024
------------------------------

Given the inability of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) to
even slow down the pace of land theft and ethnic cleansing on the West
Bank, or break the siege on Gaza, Palestinian public opinion has turned
against the PA and has become more favourable to the Resistance.
[image: f8bf709d-9ad5-40a8-86a6-a07d4cf98f46.jpg]

   - The Resistance is here to stay, and with even greater popular support.
   (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Arwa Makki)

A number of theories are circulating about the capacity of the Palestinian
and allied armed resistance, as the Israeli reprisal slaughter of civilians
in Gaza proceeds. Information gathered by Iran’s *Press TV* for the month
of February 2024 allows us a better perspective. Overall, despite the
widely denounced genocidal bombing and siege
<https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/gaza-un-experts-decry-bombing-hospitals-and-schools-crimes-against-humanity>,
there is little sign that Gaza Resistance activity is diminishing.

*Press TV* lists items of Resistance activity on a daily basis, with brief
descriptions of each. The list includes regional resistance actions by
Hezbollah (Lebanon), the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and the Yemeni armed
forces (called ‘the Houthis’ by Western governments and media, which do not
want to recognise Yemen’s revolutionary government).

Most of the Palestine resistance activity listed is in Gaza, the Hezbollah
activity is in the northern parts of occupied Palestine as well as parts of
occupied Lebanon and Syria.

Details in the listings afford us a rough idea of which activities involved
heavy weapons, such as artillery of 100mm or above, or heavy rockets (e.g.
heavy Katyushas, Falaq and Burkan rockets) and long-range drones. However,
this information is insufficient.

Put into numerical form, the raw data (1-27 February 2024) appears in the
graphic below. It is mostly for the militia of six Palestinian Resistance
factions: Al-Qassam (Hamas), Al-Quds (Palestinian Islamic Jihad), Al-Aqsa
and Al-Asifah (both Fatah), Mujahideen, Abu Ali Mustafa (PFLP) and Omar
al-Qasim (DFLP). Data also appears for Hezbollah, Iraq’s Islamic Resistance
and the Yemeni armed forces.

Key points which can be drawn from this data are as follows:

1.     Rumours that Hamas's armed wing(al-Qassam) has been decimated are
false. Al Qassam carried out multiple operations on most days in February
and 88 in total, many of them with heavy weapons such as 105 and 107
shells. One-third of their operations were in the last week of February.

2.    Hamas is far from alone. There were almost the same number of
operations each by the Al-Quds (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa and Al Asifah Brigades
(Fatah) – 90 and 81 respectively. However, it seems that Al-Qassam may have
used more heavy weapons. Overall Al-Qassam accounted for about one-quarter
of the combined Palestinian Resistance operations. All this makes even more
illusory the supposed Israeli aim of eliminating “Hamas”.

3.   It is notable that the militia of Fatah (the dominant party of the PLO
and the Palestinian Authority: PA) is very active in armed resistance,
given that the Fatah-led PLO ‘recognises’ "Israel" and the Fatah-dominated
PA’s prestige is at an all-time low, given its collaborationist role in
recent decades. The Fatah Resistance groups (mainly the Al-Aqsa Brigades
but also Al-Asifah) may be vindicating the party to some extent, in the
eyes of Palestinian people.

4.  Hezbollah is the most active force imposing itself on the Israeli
military, with 202 operations in February. Hezbollah does not operate in
the Gaza theatre but is certainly drawing a substantial part of the Israeli
military away from Gaza. The descriptions at *Press TV *do not allow too
much analysis of the weapons used, but many have included heavy weapons. It
is well known that Hezbollah has heavy weapons
<https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/hezbollahs-rocket-arsenal/> and
that much of its missile arsenal remains in reserve.

5.  There is no real sign of the armed resistance flagging. The Al-Qassam,
Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa and Hezbollah militia all carried out more operations in
the second half of February than in the first half. Of course, this has
come at a cost. Hezbollah reported on 27 February
<https://english.iswnews.com/33645/seven-hezbollah-members-martyred-in-southern-lebanon/>
that it has lost 209 fighters in the current round. Yet, as the data shows,
its operations also are not slowing down.

6.   Smaller resistance groups linked to the PFLP (Abu Ali Mustafa) and the
DFLP (Omar al-Qasim) carried out another 21 operations in February. Two
operations were also recorded for the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades (on 21
Feb and 22 Feb).
[image: 4bb53263-2986-476c-8146-4f7033bf813d.jpg]

   -
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/archive/image/2024/3/2/4bb53263-2986-476c-8146-4f7033bf813d.jpg?width=1000>

Given the inability of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) to
even slow down the pace of land theft and ethnic cleansing on the West
Bank, or break the siege on Gaza, Palestinian public opinion
<https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/961> has turned against the PA and has
become more favourable to the Resistance. In November-December 2023, most
of those polled (72%; 82% in the West Bank and 57% in the Gaza Strip)
supported the offensive of October 7. 95% believe the Israelis committed
war crimes in their attacks on Gaza; while only 10% believed Hamas
committed war crimes.

The two most popular options for future governance of Gaza were Hamas (60%)
or a Palestinian Unity government excluding PA ‘President’ Mahmoud Abbas
(16%). Another recent poll showed
<https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/12/palestinians-want-abbas-resign-dont-say-goodbye-yet>
that 79% of Palestinians think unelected ‘President’ Mahmoud Abbas should
resign. The Fatah-led PA has not faced an election since 2006
<https://www.usip.org/palestinian-politics-timeline-2006-election>, when it
lost to Hamas. Nevertheless, propped up by funding from Washington
<https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/international-aid-to-the-palestinians-between-politicization-and-development/>,
the EU, and some Arab monarchies, Abbas and the PA still present themselves
as the municipal rulers of the occupied Palestinian territories. Polls say
that 80% <https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/961>in the West Bank and 61% in the
Gaza Strip believe Hamas will succeed in returning to rule over the Gaza
Strip despite the Israeli operations.

On the other side, Washington has been trying to reshape the PA and use it
as a tool to control Gaza, after the US-enabled bombing ends. Hence the
resignation
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-us-pressure-for-reform-entire-pa-government-submits-its-resignation-to-abbas/>
of the entire PA Cabinet, under US pressure, but not that of the most
unpopular figure, Mahmoud Abbas. Demanding even greater compliance with the
Israelis will hardly add legitimacy to Abbas or the PA, in the eyes of the
Palestinian population.

The Resistance is here to stay, and with even greater popular support.
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