[News] Israel Admits Hamas Capabilities in Gaza Largely Intact

[Anti-Imperialist News]

palestinechronicle.com
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/israel-admits-hamas-capabilities-in-gaza-largely-intact-report/>
Israel Admits Hamas Capabilities in Gaza Largely Intact - Report
January 14, 2025
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Palestinian Resistance fighters target Israeli soldiers in Gaza. (Photo:
video grab)

*By Palestine Chronicle Staff
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/palestine-chronicle-staff>*

Amid growing resistance in Gaza, the Israeli army acknowledges the ongoing
effectiveness of Hamas’ military operations, particularly in Beit Hanoun,
where casualties continue to rise.

The Israeli army has acknowledged that Hamas’ military capabilities in Beit
Hanoun remain largely intact, Israeli media reported, as 16 Israeli
soldiers were killed in the area in northern Gaza in recent days.

“The town of Beit Hanoun claimed the lives of five Israeli soldiers today
(Monday), joining ten other soldiers killed in the town … within a week
only,” said a report by the newspaper Israel Hayom, cited by the Anadolu
news agency.

According to the paper, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the
military campaign began in early October 2024 has risen to 55, with 16
deaths in Beit Hanoun alone.

On Monday, Israel’s military reported that five soldiers were killed and
eight others critically injured when a building in Beit Hanoun exploded.
Hamas Command Operational

An unnamed Israeli army officer told the newspaper that Beit Hanoun was
heavily bombarded during the first incursion into the town in October 2023,
resulting in the destruction of much of the area, reported Anadolu. One
soldier was killed and others wounded in that initial raid.

“There is now an unimaginable number of Israeli fatalities in Beit Hanoun,”
the officer said, according to the report.

The report noted that the military now concedes that Hamas’ local command
network remains operational and that its commanders can still issue attack
orders.

Hamas is reportedly employing guerrilla warfare tactics, with small units
circumventing Israeli forces and launching attacks. Israel Hayom added that
this strategy “often succeeds,” reported Anadolu.
Major Attack in Rafah

Also on Monday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas,
launched a major assault on an Israeli military unit of 25 soldiers in the
Shaboura camp, located in the center of Rafah, southern Gaza.

According to a statement posted on their Telegram account, the Qassam
fighters ambushed the Israeli force while it was entrenched inside a
building in the Al-Najili area.

The Brigades revealed that they detonated a minefield placed along two
Israeli troop carriers, effectively targeting the reinforcements sent to
rescue the trapped soldiers.

The attack resulted in casualties, and the clash continued into the evening
with the targeted building still on fire. This action is part of a broader
strengthening in resistance operations across Gaza, with the northern
region seeing increasing resistance activity.
Losses ‘Far Higher’

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, emphasized
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/abu-obeida-hamas-resistance-secures-victories-while-israel-targets-civilians/>
in a statement that the losses incurred by Israeli forces in northern Gaza
were far higher than officially acknowledged.

He further suggested that the growing toll on Israeli troops signaled a
weakened Israeli stance, with reports indicating that the Israeli military
is struggling to deal with the tactical effectiveness of the resistance.

Abu Obeida’s statement comes at a time when ceasefire and prisoner exchange
negotiations are intensifying, highlighting the resilience of the
resistance and the growing pressure on the Israeli government.
Ongoing Genocide

The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7,
2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death
toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise
daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians
before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 46,584 Palestinians have
been killed, and 109,731 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza
starting on October 7, 2023.

The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still
unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
Millions Displaced

The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a
military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel
reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the
initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns
that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly
fire’ during the assault.

Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have
reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women
and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine,
with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the
humanitarian disaster.

The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across
Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already
overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains
trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities
such as food, water, and medical care.

*(PC, Anadolu)*
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