Palestinian/Israeli update 5/18/2021..Palestinians hold general strike as Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks continue

Palestinians hold general strike as Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks continue

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The situation in Gaza is hopefully going to conclude soon. IDF gave two signs of that today when CoS said the operation needs two more days and the re-opening of Erez border crossing.

Lack of rocket fire from Gaza today and very brief night attacks by the IDF are mutual gestures

This conflict has a clear winner who came on top and was successful in showing dominance in fire power, but failed greatly in killing any leaders or denying the ability to fire rockets. That’s what it’s all about and rockets kept on being fired at a steady rate. Small but steady

Israel caused great toll on civilian infrastructure but all will be rebuild more beautiful than it was.

Any damage to the resistance can be rebuilt. It’s part of the challenge of dealing with far superior occupation forces.

HAMAS showed in this battle that it is the most dominant force in Gaza and PIJ much weaker than expected. Hamas was successful in preserving its firepower and showed impressive coordination between leadership orders, media, and ability to launch at orders. C & C was preserved.

Hamas in this battle tried to create a new detterence connecting Gaza to Jerusalem, forcing the occupation into certain consensus on those areas. How successful? This will be judged in the months and years to come.

This conflict also showed how Jerusalem locals are close to Hamas and are open about it. A milestone only overcome by what the 1948 Palestinian did. For the first time, such unity with Gaza and willing to riot and lynch Israeli soldiers. Most important development in decades.

IDF’s response to Gaza focused on two things:

1- Critically wounding Hamas and allies

2- Enhance old detterence and display firepower to instil fear in other adverseries (e.g Hezbullah)

It was a display of IDF’s new “Battle days doctrine”

Finally, IDF is an aggressor force who has no right of self-defense and who failed in the overall strategy of ending a threat due to its fear of casualties if it invaded Gaza to end this threat. They only bought time. Time that Hamas will used to rebuild and prepare.

Gaza never had the power nor will it have the power to cause an existential threat to Israel. Gaza is like a knife that cuts.

Gaza’s far superior rule will be in the big war when it will be the knife that will stab from the back when the concentration of power is looking north.

In addition that, there are few points to remember (I might expand on them later)

1- Gazan geography is very bad for defense and offense. It’s sand. No mountains, no valleys, no forests. That, and the huge civilian concentration. Hard to operate from.

2- Iron Dome was very successful. Proved it’s worth yet again but it is still far from being tested against a better adversary with much bigger firepower and military grade rockets that are faster.

Using 6 Iron Dome batteries facing Gaza means with a theoretical rate of just 50%, it can still stop all rockets from Gaza.

Biggest barrage was 130 rocket. 50% rate of 6 batteries can stop 240 rocket (1 interceptor / rocket). It was not even equal in defense.

Zionists are evil who keep secrets, but hiding casualties is something they don’t do.

Neither them nor the US military. We need to get over this unfounded rhetoric.

@LebUpdate https://t.me/LebUpdate/16635

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