NOURNEWS- On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian resistance fighters jointly launched an operation deep into the occupied territories of the Palestinian nation. The operation was named *al-Aqsa Flood* to symbolize the flood of people breaking the barrier as the consequences of maltreatment of the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem. Time and again, the Palestinian resistance has warned the Israeli forces to refrain from continuous violations of human rights and sacred places at the compound and cautioning them that the anger is mounting as they can't simply stay ideal while those crimes continue to persist daily. Apparently, the Israeli government didn't heed the warning; instead, they let settlers under the protection of the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) do as they pleased without any consideration of the holiness of the Al-Aqsa, thus the birth of these operations.
To understand, the significance and nature of this operation, we have to look at the status quo and why there is a need to do something differently.
The Rise of Hamas:
Two years after the withdrawal of the IOF from Gaza in 2005 due to the intense resistance that they faced, Hamas managed to triumph over the Fatah party (political party) after the majority won the 2006 legislative elections and their establishment in 2007. Before then Hamas had been the only resistance group against the occupation (Israel government), and that gave them legitimacy in the eyes of Palestinians.
Hamas was established in 1987 and has close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt. Through the 1990s and 20s, Hamas launched a series of attacks against occupation forces, which eventually led to their withdrawal and gave up the Gaza Strip.
After having successfully established full control in Gaza, they reviewed the methods used before as they are no longer effective since the enemy is not within. They created different strategies of deterrence. Hamas developed different strategies, hence the rockets.
The 2008 war: the Israeli government faced a different level of threats as it perceived Hamas to be an alternative to Fatah, or at least created division within the Palestinians, that in turn weakened them.
The perception quickly changed by Israel and a ceasefire was brokered by the Egyptian Govt (on behalf of Israel) but on-and-off clashes continued, and by the year of 2014, the Israeli occupation forces put in place the safety net, the so-called iron dome. (mosque net)
The air defense system created a whole new hope of security for the occupiers; they celebrated it in public places and didn't hide their assurance that they could attack Palestinians, but they couldn't be harmed.
During the Sword of Al-Quds in 2021, Hamas tested a new strategy that beat the Iron Dome. That caused new challenges for the IOF because Hamas arsenals had grown in quality and quantity. Thereafter, the IOF decided on a plan to deter Hamas and change the rules of the game.
After the operation, the IOF felt they deterred Hamas, and now they decided to launch a number of operations to break the resistance in Gaza. Having begun with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), they said they wanted to destroy them in Gaza and cautioned Hamas not to intervene as that operation solemnly focused on PIJ.
Later, there was another operation in Jenin on the west bank. All this Hamas was never involved; this gave them the nod that yes, Hamas was deterred as it understood what was at stake if it attacked occupiers' territories. Of course, the enemy has a plan to eliminate Hamas when they are done with eliminating PIJ.
The arrogant Israeli government did not heed the call of Hamas to refrain from violating the Al-Aqsa compound because they felt secure and there was little or nothing that Hamas could actually do.
Preparation for the Al-Aqsa Flood:
The circumstances necessitated the creation of entirely different rules of engagement to put the enemy back in their tracks so that they couldn't continue to attack and expect no consequences, the resistance fighters understood that the enemy only responds to force, and from that they needed entirely new methods and reminded the enemy of earlier days.
I don't want to explain the technical aspects of the operation now, may be in another write-up. Generally, the resistance fighters put so much effort into training, technology, equipment, surveillance, and intelligence gathering. They mixed all these to create a formidable surprise for the enemy, thus the Al-Aqsa flood.
Objectives of the Al-Aqsa Flood:
There are three main reasons for the Al-Aqsa flood operation:
1. Create new rules of engagement:
We are now aware, that the enemy no longer feels in danger and can do whatever they want; in simpler terms, they don't consider Hamas warnings credible since they get them in the box, and it's the enemy that decides what happens.
The objective here is to take away that sense of security and show the enemy that their advanced technology, barriers, and intelligence are useless and can't save them from the resistance fighters if they continue to misbehave.
Iron domes, beams, or barriers are not effective anymore, and all the occupied territories can be infiltrated at the wish and choice of the resistance fighters. The strikes fear, and shock deep into the hearts of the occupiers and consequently changed the rules of engagement.
2. Prisoner swaps:
For years, tens of hundreds of Palestinians have been held hostage at various prisons in the occupied territories camp, some of them children, women, and the elderly. For a long time, it has been an open case with Palestinian resistance fighters on how to get them back, and this operation served the purpose as well.
The prisoners of war (PoW) held by the Hamas/Hezbollah fighters will exchange with those brave Palestinians held by the Israeli forces.
3. Reviving the Palestinian Cause:
Israel, America, and Saudi surrogates from the Arab world have started to give up on the Palestinian cause and have chosen to believe that it's impossible and that it's better they let go and think of alternatives, which may be a better treatment for the Palestinians, as the Israeli government never really wants to agree to an independent Palestinian state.
For some time, it has been ongoing in secret, but the normalization between some Arab countries with Israeli governments clearly showed that the Palestinian cause is almost lost. The US, which backed the occupation, sees, that the only obstacle to the arrangements is the resistance axis in Palestine, and without it the Palestinian Authority (PA) will accept whatever will be proposed to them, especially since Saudi Arabia is in the accord, therefore, the demise of the Palestinian cause is imminent.
Crimes against humanity committed and continued in Gaza by the enemy in Al-Quds and the West Bank; must be checked and reduced, thus, necessitating the Al-Aqsa flood.
Unfolding the Operation:
The operation has many phases and was carefully designed; we saw the second phase of it, and many more surprises await the enemy. The ground situation of the operation is for another day, but it is important to keep an eye on the price.
NOURNEWS