Pos and Cons

Hamas military spokesman - Qassam Forces Abu Obeida says: The sacrifices of the Palestinian people will not be in vain, and this is true in the horizon and in the long term, but the truth is that the sacrifices of the Palestinian people will go to the benefit of Hamas first, as the indirect negotiations that took place between the colony and Hamas strengthen the position of Hamas, just as they consolidate, strengthen and feed the Palestinian division, and this was done by an effective act, a prior decision and a deliberate direction, and instead of the participation of the PLO and its national authority, they were isolated, as if they did not exist, and they were removed from the negotiation equation, on the path to eliminating their political role, their legitimate status, and gradually canceling their role, according to the plan of the colony according to the convictions, work and directions of Netanyahu's coalition government based on: 1- That united Jerusalem is the capital of the Israeli colony, and it is being isolated, Israelized, Judaized and Hebraized, 2- That the Palestinian West Bank is not Palestinian, not Arab and not occupied, but rather it is Judea and Samaria as part of the map of the Israeli colony, and thus working to weaken the authority, distort its reputation and status and deal with it as if it is Absent and non-existent, on the path to reducing its role and dissipating its status.

Abu Obeida and other Hamas leaders view the Battle of the Flood of Al-Aqsa as the beginning of Palestinian action, and that it changed the balances, priorities and political data, and opened the gate to Palestinian victory, and that its sacrifices in the martyrdom of Haniyeh, Al-Arouri and Al-Sinwar are the price they paid in order to strengthen Hamas’s return to its sole, unilateral administration of the Gaza Strip.

In Hamas's unprecedented and courageous operation, the movement set the following goals:

1- Stopping the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

2- Lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip.

3- Liberating all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. These are legitimate and realistic goals and a program that reflects Palestinian understanding and national interests. However, these goals were not fully achieved due to the Israeli military superiority and capability, despite the colony’s failure to achieve its goals in the following two issues: 1- Releasing Israeli prisoners without exchange operations, and 2- Uprooting Hamas and ending its role and authority. The results were disappointing to the Israelis’ goals and aspirations. Rather, they were forced to negotiate with Hamas and reach a truce agreement with it.

Regardless of the assessment of the physical facts of the battle on the ground and in the field, the political results will remain shaky, because the results of the battle are not decided in favor of one party at the expense of the other, because the Israelis failed but were not defeated, and the Palestinians held out but were not victorious.

The political battle began even before the military battle stopped, and both sides are working to exploit the practical results on the ground to their advantage, and this is what we will see and follow during the weeks of implementing the truce deal and beyond.