Military expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi said that Israel's bombing of all areas of the Gaza Strip, and its demand that residents of Khan Yunis go to Rafah, means that it is continuing with its forced displacement plan.

The Israeli bombing included all of the Gaza Strip, north and south, in the first renewal of fighting after the collapse of the temporary truce. Residents of Khan Yunis, south of the Strip, were asked to head towards the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, which indicates that Israel is continuing with its forced displacement plan, Al-Duwairi says.

The occupation launched a violent bombardment yesterday morning, Friday, leaving dozens of dead and wounded in a number of areas, while the resistance responded by bombing Tel Aviv, and engaged in violent clashes in a number of areas of Gaza City, according to what was announced by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Al-Duwairi predicted - in an analysis by Al-Jazeera - that the second phase of the war would be more violent and broader in scope, and said that “its beginning heralds a lot after the bombing included all areas of the Strip.”

This expansion of the bombing indicates - according to Al-Duwairi - that Israel is proceeding with the plan to forcibly displace the residents of the Gaza Strip, a hypothesis reinforced by the demand that the residents of Khan Yunis go to Rafah, in his opinion.

The military expert points out public statements by Israeli leaders in this regard, which means that they may launch simultaneous ground operations in the north, center and south of the Strip.

The Israeli forces, which began the first phase of the ground attack, will attempt to complete their battle in the northern part of the Strip, while the new forces that were brought in will launch attacks on the central and southern sectors, according to the military expert.

Division of the southern sector

Currently, Israel is mobilizing 3 divisions that did not participate in the previous phase of the fighting, and may call in a fourth division from the border with Lebanon if the confrontations there do not expand, bringing the total number of forces participating in the entire operation to approximately 6 divisions, Al-Duwairi says.

Regarding the form of the expected maneuver in the current phase of the war, it is likely that Israel will try to divide the southern part of the Strip into 3 parts, where it will push forcefully between Bureij and Deir al-Balah, another between Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis, and a third between Khan Yunis and Rafah.

Al-Duwairi questioned the occupation’s talk about its control over 40% of Gaza City, pointing out that Israel is talking about empty or agricultural areas, but it did not control the very intertwined residential area, unlike the southern region.

The military expert believes that Israel can provide forces to penetrate the sector in general, but he doubted its ability to extend its actual control, and said that it would face fierce resistance, as happened during the past days in the north.

He added, "There are 4 Israeli soldiers who were injured today in the far northeast of Gaza, which means that the resistance is still operating in the areas that Israel entered about a month ago, after nearly 50 days of comprehensive bombardment."

In addition, - the military expert says - the Al-Qassam Brigades have 3 brigades that have not participated in the battles yet (the Al-Wasat Brigade, the Khan Yunis Brigade, and the Rafah Brigade), and all of them are fully prepared for the battle, according to his expression.

Regarding the resistance options in the new phase of the war, Al-Duwairi said that they are more open than the war in the north, because the south is open and sparsely built, which gives an advantage to the defenders and will make the response more powerful.

Al-Duwairi stressed that the goal of eliminating the Hamas movement, which Israel claims, is almost impossible, except by wiping out Gaza from the face of the earth, adding, "Israel's declared goals are not commensurate with the operational situation so far."

The Al-Qassam Brigades had said that they were clashing with Israeli forces in several places, including: Sheikh Radwan and near the Gaza coast, confirming that they had targeted tanks, concentrations and troop carriers, and caused losses among their ranks. The resistance also attacked Tel Aviv, Sderot, Ra'im, Kissufim, and Ashkelon, in the Gaza Strip.

Source: Al Jazeera