The confrontation between the Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli military has a distinct flavour this time round. Primarily led by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the operation, called “Al-Aqsa Flood,” is more than just a missile exchange akin to the previous clashes between the two sides that lasted for just hours or days.
Instead, it is a joint operation of special forces, encompassing ground, sea, and aerial attacks aimed primarily at the periphery surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Targets have included military sites, bases, and nearby settlements, and the incursions unfolded synchronously in a semi-circular fashion, commencing from Zikim, Netiv HaAsara, Kerem Shalom, and the Erez Crossing in the north of Gaza and then advancing southwards along the border towards Netiv Ha’ot, Kfar Azza, Nahal Oz, Yairim, and Kisufim, and eventually reaching Karmei Shalom and the adjacent crossing near the Egyptian border.
Additional offensive efforts have been directed towards the city of Ashkelon, which was also attacked from the sea.
These attacks have been executed in a coordinated and simultaneous manner by land, sea, and air. The objective has not simply been to surprise the targets and then return swiftly to Gaza, but rather to achieve field control over crucial sectors within them, destroying as much equipment and security-military infrastructure as possible and targeting a significant number of Israelis, especially soldiers, whether by engaging them directly or by apprehending and swiftly transporting them into the Gaza Strip.
The attack patterns employed have also been multifaceted, commencing with a sustained barrage of rockets to obscure ground movement. This was coupled with the use of drones to target the towers housing automated combat stations guarding the border fence around the Gaza Strip. Subsequently, lightly armed special units advanced towards their objectives by using various means including the detonation of multiple points on the border fence.
The infantry units moved towards their targets under the cover of mortar shells and a significant number of rockets. Elements of the Sakr Unit deployed parachute-equipped lightweight gliders preemptively at specific points, a tactic that has had a significant psychological impact on both the Palestinian fighters and the Israeli settlements.
There was also a movement of infantry units towards the Zikim beach in the southwest of Ashkelon using low-profile lightweight boats. The Palestinian factions concurrently launched approximately 2,500 rockets over a short span of time targeting the entire northern region from Ashkelon in the south to Tel Aviv in the north, alongside areas surrounding Jerusalem.
This led to direct casualties in several cities, including Ashkelon, where the Rutenberg power station, Israel’s second-largest, suffered significant damage. This underscores a noteworthy increase in the accuracy of Palestinian rockets.
The element of surprise in the attacks was particularly striking, given the extensive surveillance and security systems in place along the border separating the Gaza Strip from adjacent Israeli settlements. These systems include hundreds of surveillance cameras, dozens of security posts, and continuous aerial monitoring through surveillance balloons and routine drone flights.
The execution of the attacks, and what appeared to be their stunning effect on the Israeli security units stationed along the border, therefore stands out as one of the most significant aspects of the whole operation.
The attacking elements managed to infiltrate all the targeted settlements with apparent ease, while the airborne Sakr Unit succeeded in reaching the farthest point in the assault, the settlement of Ofaqim approximately 16 km from Gaza. This is alongside the areas of Kerem Shalom and Ashkelon and forms a triangle for the Palestinian operations.
The Palestinian units conducted raids and arrested the Israelis they encountered, most of whom appeared to be completely taken aback by the presence of Palestinian fighters deep within the settlements.
Israeli soldiers positioned within security sites along the border fence were also taken by surprise by the intensity of the Palestinian attacks. Many of them did not offer significant resistance, seemingly caught off guard to the extent that several Israeli Merkava-4 tanks, the latest in Israel’s arsenal, were set ablaze and damaged without their crews mounting any effective response.
It was evident that the crews were not informed of the Palestinian attacks, leaving them stranded inside their tanks.
The primary focus of the Palestinian offensive manoeuvres was to secure Israeli military sites in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip or, at the very least, disable their functionalities. This was partially facilitated by the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, as the Palestinian forces targeted Kfar Azza, Erez, and the headquarters of the Gaza Brigade located in the Ra’im Camp southeast of Kisufim.
The surprise experienced by the Israeli army personnel at these sites was evident, especially in Nahal Oz where Palestinian elements damaged a significant number of armoured vehicles. They also seized several lightweight Israeli military vehicles, later transporting them into the Gaza Strip.
The delayed Israeli military response, which began approximately five hours after the beginning of the Palestinian operations, left police and army units without air support or reinforcements. As a result, there were a significant number of prisoners and casualties among the Israeli army units.
They included the capture of General Nimrod Aloni, former commander of the Gaza Brigade, who currently holds the position of commander of the Depth Corps in the Israeli army. Colonel Yonatan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal Brigade was killed during clashes in the settlement of Karmei Shalom, along with dozens of fighters from Battalion 13 of the elite Israeli Golani Brigade and Colonel Roy Levi, the commander of the multidimensional elite unit known as the Ghost Unit.
On the armaments front, it is noteworthy that the Al-Qassam Brigades have employed two different types of suicide drones during the ongoing operations.
The first type is the Zoar drone, which closely resembles the Qasef drones possessed by the Houthi Movement in Yemen, indicating Iranian manufacture. The second type closely resembles the Iranian Ababil drones. The objectives targeted by these drones have not been fully disclosed.
These drones were not originally intended for military use, but have been modified and equipped with mechanisms to deliver hand grenades or tandem-warhead anti-tank projectiles, such as the PG-7. The drones targeted surveillance towers along the Gaza border and some Israeli military unit concentrations, causing significant damage to at least one Merkava-4 tank.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also used Kornet anti-tank guided missiles during a night attack on an Israeli armoured vehicle east of the city of Shuja’iyya. Video footage has documented the use of wire-guided Malotka anti-armour missiles, which are originally of Soviet origin but are manufactured in Iran under the name of Ra’ad.
On the missile front, the Al-Qassam Brigades have not yet revealed the types of rockets used to bombard the Israeli cities. However, they have showcased the Rajoom rocket system, short-range 114 mm calibre rocket launchers, which were used in the accompanying artillery barrage during the infantry movement.
Anti-aircraft weapons also play a significant role in the arsenal of the Al-Qassam Brigades, as well as that of the Saraya Al-Quds, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front. All of these factions have announced their participation in the ground operations.
The Al-Qassam Brigades employed 14.5 mm anti-aircraft artillery to target Israeli helicopters. The Israeli army reported damage to four helicopters belonging to the 669th Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit while attempting to evacuate casualties from settlements in southern Gaza. The firing of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles such as the Strela-2 at an Israeli Air Force fighter jet has also been recorded. The Al-Qassam Brigades have also announced the use of a local air defence system named Meteer-1.
As a preliminary summary, it seems that a comprehensive failure of the Israeli alarm and surveillance system took place. This failure encompasses clear inefficiencies within Israeli field personnel, especially those operating within the armoured forces. The latter forces, represented by the Merkava tanks, suffered a significant blow after being targeted by modified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The ease with which Palestinian infantry elements infiltrated various areas around the Gaza Strip and carried out incursions into key Israeli military sites within the Gaza envelope, including a daring amphibious assault on the shores of Ashkelon, penetrating two km into the city, also raises significant questions about the readiness and preparedness of the Gaza Brigade units.
Israeli security and military forces up until the morning of 7 October had failed to dislodge the Palestinian presence in the southern settlements of Gaza. They were forced to destroy the Sderot Police Station after their unsuccessful attempt to breach it. The Palestinian presence remained noticeable in Sderot, Kfar Azza, and other areas. In a daring move, the Al-Qassam Brigades also attempted another assault on Ashkelon via Highway 4.
Undoubtedly, the synchronisation of missile strikes with light field movements, the use of aerial assets for mobility, and the exploitation of the Jewish holiday, along with the Palestinian elements equipping themselves with uniforms and gear matching those of Israeli military units, were all contributing factors to the outcome of the operation, though they do not wholly explain it.
The element of surprise led to an unprecedented level of disarray within the Israeli command-and-control mechanisms, to the extent that the Israeli Air Force was compelled to transport some of its operational fighters stationed at the Hatzorim Air Base near Ofakim to other bases using trucks, anticipating the possibility of Palestinian paratroopers reaching it.
The Palestinian tactical approach in the field manoeuvres significantly expanded the margin of combat operations around the Gaza Strip. It shifted the operational focus away from the rocket attacks that had previously dominated, thus contributing to the multidirectional expansion of the combats deep into Israeli territory.
This was especially notable given reports of cyberattacks and electronic interference against Israeli media outlets coinciding with the commencement of the Palestinian attacks, which clearly played a role in the success of the Palestinian offensive.
Some effects were also apparent in the performance of the Patriot missile-defence systems, as one of its missiles was fired at a nonexistent aerial target.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military began deploying four infantry divisions within the Gaza Strip on the evening of 7 October, totalling approximately 35 battalions. It expanded the state of military emergency to cover the entire country. By the following morning, 80 fighter jets had been deployed to target the opposite bank in Gaza, consisting of 17 F-35s, 43 F-16s, and 20 F-15s, in addition to the utilisation of unmanned aerial vehicles, including ten Heron-I drones and two Hermes-450 drones, for reconnaissance operations above the Gaza Strip and to attempt to curtail the infiltration of settlements in the southern region.
The Israeli Air Force also introduced electronic reconnaissance aircraft into Lebanese airspace, including two G-550 Eitam aircraft and a G-550 Shavit aircraft, to conduct patrols in coastal areas in order to monitor Hizbullah activity, particularly following the artillery exchanges with the Lebanese Shia group.
The current challenge facing Israel is the full restoration of its control over all areas surrounding the Gaza Strip. Subsequently, a decision must be made whether Israel will embark on a ground war or shift its focus towards negotiating the release of the Israeli prisoners.
However, it is clear that Tel Aviv is considering the possibility of an extended military confrontation, especially after reports surfaced that it has urgently requested Washington to enhance the inventory of the Iron Dome missile-defence system with small-diameter air-to-air guided bombs and quantities of anti-aircraft ammunition.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 October, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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