Middle East: In a scene that encapsulates years of combat experience and operational expertise, Palestinian jihad and resistance factions in Gaza continue to prove their capability to manage a complex, multi-dimensional battle against one of the most advanced armies in the region.

As the Israeli occupation intensifies its attacks on the Gaza Strip—deploying three of its top military divisions to the frontlines—the resistance counters with tactical, high-impact operations that shuffle the deck and expose the fragility of the Zionist narrative claiming to have “dismantled the resistance infrastructure.”

Operational Developments Over the Past 48 Hours

While the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth confirmed that the Chief of Staff informed the cabinet's war council of a “significant shortage in combat troops,” Israel's Army Radio admitted that “an army unit entered a house in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, was surrounded and ambushed, and is currently being evacuated by Unit 669 helicopters.”

Meanwhile, Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, stated on Sunday that their fighters "detonated a booby-trapped house targeting a Zionist special forces unit that infiltrated the Abu al-Rus area east of Rafah, killing and wounding several members."

Similarly, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, reported on Monday: “Our fighters sniped an Israeli sniper who was stationed on the Al-Muntar hill in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.”

On Sunday, they also confirmed shelling an Israeli military concentration in the Rafah axis (which the enemy calls the “Morag Axis”) with 60mm mortars and striking a command and control site in the "Awad Allah" area of the Yabna camp with 107mm rockets.

The resistance also announced it had taken control of two Israeli quadcopter drones on intelligence missions in central Gaza.

Additionally, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said on Sunday: “We downed an Israeli Puma Raider drone while it was conducting intelligence and hostile activities east of Gaza.”

On the political front, Hamas declared that “the Zionist captives will not return through military escalation but through a decision Netanyahu refuses to make,” emphasizing that “his government will make no progress on the prisoner issue without a swap deal. Escalation is a losing gamble at the expense of their own captives.”
 

Gaza Resistance Challenges the War Machine, Disproves the Occupation’s Narrative

According to al-Masirah Net and military experts analyzing the situation in Gaza over the past 48 hours, a qualitative shift has occurred in the nature of "asymmetric warfare." Palestinian resistance is no longer merely reactive—it is now a comprehensive and integrated combat system.

Experts emphasize that the resistance operates based on a precise intelligence target bank, evident in the meticulous timing and selection of targets. Their battlefield agility, use of ambushes and sniping tactics all point to advanced training and strong coordination between units.

The resistance has successfully blended traditional firepower with technology, downing Israeli drones and using surveillance drones to respond technologically to attacks.

It has also excelled in psychological and media warfare, releasing accurate and timely footage and statements that disrupt the enemy’s internal front and earn global and domestic sympathy.

Tactically, experts confirm that Israeli forces have so far failed to establish control—whether firepower-based or territorial—over conflict zones. This is a clear indication of a growing and tangible balance of deterrence.

Strategically, the inability to achieve decisive victory, amid rising psychological, military, and political losses, reflects Israel’s failure to understand its opponent—a force that fights not only for victory but for survival.

The Equation of Field Superiority: Who Holds the Initiative?

Field developments in the past 48 hours prove that the resistance still holds the initiative for deterrence and retaliation, using advanced guerrilla warfare tactics—including Sunday’s home detonation against infiltrating forces in Rafah.

Sniping tactics were used in Shuja’iyya, while a variety of rocket systems (short, medium, and long-range) disproved Israeli claims of eliminating rocket capabilities.

The downing of Puma Raider drones and seizure of quadcopters also point to increasing technological advancement in the resistance’s air defense units.

In terms of the prisoner file, the resistance continues its psychological and political battle. By stating that the fate of Israeli captives depends on a political decision Netanyahu refuses to make, Hamas has delivered a significant blow—pressuring Israel internally and exposing deep divisions within its leadership.

Occupation’s Operational Dilemma: Stalled Despite Technical Superiority

Despite unlimited logistical and intelligence support and the deployment of elite brigades (such as Division 36 in Rafah, Division 143 in Shaboura and Tel al-Sultan, and Division 252 in the north), Israel has failed to achieve any meaningful breakthrough or decisive battlefield victory.

Ground reports from the past 48 hours reveal continuous attrition of personnel and equipment. The occupation’s reliance on “scorched earth” tactics without strategic gains underscores its failure to detect or destroy tunnel networks and weapons caches—despite its technological advantage.

The resistance has waged a layered battle: direct combat with explosives, ambushes, and sniper fire; technological warfare against drones; and psychological/media warfare through press releases and footage. All of this reflects unprecedented growth in resistance performance, from command unity to mastering full-spectrum warfare.

After 555 days of war, the Palestinian resistance now stands as a disciplined military force capable of keeping pace with the Israeli army on the modern battlefield—and delivering painful blows that disrupt its strategic balance.

This reality stems not only from sheer will and determination but from a new equation:

“Whoever holds the will and the battlefield, imposes the equation of victory.”

Translated by Almasirah English website