Hamas leader Sinwar says his fighters are “crushing” the Israeli army and will not surrender » Today Latest Stories
The leader of the movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said in a message to members of the movement outside the Gaza Strip that Hamas fighters are inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli army and will not surrender to their conditions.
In a message he shared Arabian island On Monday, Sinwar reassured the leadership of the Palestinian movement abroad about the achievement achieved by the armed wing after two and a half months of Israeli bombing and ground operations.
He claimed that 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers had been killed and wounded since the start of ground operations in late October.
He added that a third of them, or about 1,660 people, were killed, while the rest were permanently disabled or seriously injured.
The Israeli army says that 156 soldiers have been killed in ground fighting so far, and 600 others have been wounded.
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However, the Israeli media reported a much larger number of wounded soldiers, citing them Contradictions Between the numbers provided by the army and the cases documented by hospitals.
Sinwar added that Palestinian fighters, using guerrilla tactics, such as snipers, anti-tank missiles and improvised explosive devices, inflicted total or partial damage to at least 750 Israeli armored vehicles, including tanks.
Al Jazeera quoted Sinwar as saying, “The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades are waging a fierce and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces.”
He added that the Phalange “is crushing the Israeli army and will continue to do so,” and that it “will not submit to the conditions of the occupation.”
The Al-Qassam Brigades is the largest Palestinian faction fighting the Israelis in Gaza. Other organizations include the Al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement) and the smaller Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, allied with the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
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The letter’s report comes amid renewed indirect talks between Hamas and Israel regarding a ceasefire.
Israel has reportedly proposed another temporary truce to the fighting during which a group of Israelis could be released from Gaza in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas denies that its brigades have deteriorated significantly
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Hamas has publicly rejected the offer, saying no prisoner exchange will take place before an agreement is reached to permanently end the war and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
While Israeli bombing on an unprecedented scale has killed more than 20,000 people and pushed Gaza to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, Hamas fighters are still able to inflict heavy losses on the Israeli army.
A total of 14 soldiers were killed over the weekend across the Gaza Strip, including areas the army claims to control.
Since October 7, Israel has published the names of 489 soldiers killed in combat or who died during operations. This number includes former hostages who may have died in Israeli bombing.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions regularly publish videos of their attacks on Israeli sites, including photos of Israeli weapons and ammunition seized during the fighting.
The Israeli army claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters and destroyed many tunnel openings.
However, the group has not yet acknowledged serious damage to the group’s combat capabilities.
