The Hamas movement surprised the world with its “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation last October, and the surprise was not only in the size of the huge Israeli losses, but also extended to how it was planned and implemented in complete secrecy without revealing it, despite the various technological and human Israeli spy networks surrounding the Gaza Strip. The surprise extended Also, the extent to which Hamas succeeded in achieving its goals, and the return of hundreds of its fighters to Gaza, along with more than two hundred hostages and prisoners from the Israeli side.

  Former US military intelligence officer Scott Reiter, (62 years old), who has a long history of practical, research and analytical experience in Middle East affairs, said, “The Hamas movement has already won with its complex and advanced operation in October, and that it cannot be eliminated, as the government announced.” “This is because Hamas has become a practical and moral symbol of resistance to the Israeli occupation,” he said.

  He continued: “What really surprised me was the poor condition and deterioration of the Israeli army’s performance. As I am very familiar with the Israeli army and have been studying it for many years, I have noticed a decline in the combat level of its soldiers, especially among members of the ground forces, amid an exaggerated reliance on technology and the capabilities of the air force.”

  He added: “On the other hand, I had confidence in the Israeli intelligence services. Over the decades, they showed great ability to penetrate the Palestinian resistance movements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by planting a wide network of spies, and they had a tight network that monitored much of what was happening in the Gaza Strip.” There was certainty among intelligence experts that it was unlikely that Hamas would plan an operation of this size without detecting and thwarting it.”

  He stressed that “the Israeli intelligence failure was shocking to me, but what was more shocking was the Israeli army’s reaction immediately after the Hamas attacks on October 7, and what happened confirms that the Israeli army has several distinguished teams with exceptional combat experience, but the rest of the army forces are not at the needed level especially members of the reserve forces who have been called up to fight,” he said.

  Ritter, the United Nations inspector in charge of searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq during the years 1991 to 1998, said that the Hamas attack on Israel last October was considered the most successful military raid in this century, according to his statements.

  Ritter added, in an article published on his own website, that Israel’s likening of the October 7 attack to the events of September 11, 2001 and the “atrocities” that it claims were committed by Hamas, including “mass rape, beheading of children, and killing of defenseless Israeli civilians,” are all inaccurate accusations.

  He continued, “The Israeli claims are clearly false or misleading,” adding that about a third of the Israeli deaths were army, security, and police officers, stressing that the first killer of the Israelis in October was not Hamas or the other Palestinian factions, but rather the Israeli army itself.

  Ritter cited a recently published video showing Israeli Apache helicopters randomly shooting Israeli civilians trying to flee, explaining that the pilots were unable to distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters.

  He added that the accounts of civilian and military eyewitnesses regarding what Israel calls the “Re’im massacre” confirmed that the vast majority of the victims were killed by Israeli soldiers and tanks.

  He explained that the Israeli government retracted its claim that Hamas beheaded 40 children, without providing any reliable evidence of its involvement in the rape or sexual assault of a single Israeli woman.

  He said that eyewitness accounts confirmed that Hamas fighters were disciplined and resolute in the attack, but they were polite and kind in dealing with civilian prisoners.

  Ritter also commented on Israeli youths in Jerusalem chanting anti-Palestinian statements, stressing that Israel is rapidly losing its moral right to exist as a nation.

  Ritter wrote on his account on the (X) platform: “Israel is rapidly losing its moral right to exist as a nation, if it has not already done so,” adding: “I used to support Israel’s right to exist, even when I disagreed with its government’s policies, but when... The Jewish homeland has become a modern embodiment of the forces of hatred that created the conditions that led to the formation of Israel in the first place, so one must question the feasibility and legitimacy of the project.”

  Ritter added: “The establishment of a separate Jewish state, organized and implemented under the current policies and practices of the modern Israeli state, is no longer acceptable.”

  Ritter showed how Hezbollah has become an increasing threat in the north, pointing to its ability to control strategic areas such as the Galilee, pointing out that Hezbollah has become a player that cannot be ignored, as he put it.

  He added: “If Hezbollah intervenes in the north, it will achieve seven times more victories over Israel than Hamas, and it will defeat the Israeli army absolutely along its northern border, which will blow everyone’s minds,” pointing out that “Hezbollah was preparing for this battle.” “For many decades, they know the Israelis well, and the region as well.”

He concluded: “Israel has put many of its resources in Gaza, and there are not many of them left. Hezbollah has about one hundred thousand fighters, and many of them have become more solid due to their participation in the war in Syria. I believe that the biggest surprise for Israel will come from Hezbollah, and this defeat for Israel will not only be military but also economically, but more importantly than that, Hezbollah will defeat the Zionist mentality. In practice, it will be the absolute delegitimization of political Zionism, and when this defeat occurs, and it happens or has already happened, this will be the end of Israel,” according to his statements.

Source: Sama News