Posted on 12/01/2023 5:47:00 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
While much attention has been paid to the humanitarian relief enabled by the weeklong truce between Hamas and Israel, national security experts note that the pause may have given Hamas the opportunity to strengthen and resupply its forces for when hostilities resumed Friday.
The concern was that Hamas would emerge strengthened so its forces could respond to Israel's devastating ground and aerial assault in northern Gaza, and potentially in southern Gaza, where many of the enclave's 2 million civilian residents are now located after heeding Israel's warnings to leave northern Gaza before Israeli forces attacked there.
Those questions of whether Hamas has benefited from the temporary truce may be answered soon as Israel resumed its offensive operations on Friday by launching airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after it said Hamas had violated the terms of the cease-fire.
Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and ABC News contributor, described the pause in fighting as a "net win" for Hamas "both militarily and politically."
"I believe Israel knew this would be the case, but it was worth it for them to recover their hostages," he added.
Mulroy and other national security analysts who spoke with ABC News concur that Hamas has likely used the temporary truce to refit, re-arm, and reposition its forces in Gaza.
"This has stopped the IDF's momentum, allowing Hamas to maneuver to gain a tactical advantage," according to Mulroy.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Gaza may or may not be destroyed. But Hamas will survive in the West Bank and elsewhere.
Come on-temporary? Like Israel is gonna let them fight another day?
The brutal and cruel abduction of the hostages-—none of them soldiers —gave them leverage and bought time in the driver’s seat over the enemies of Hamas.
The fake ceasefire is over
Bomb them
Hamas broke the terms of the cease fire, so it’s no longer in force.
BS. There weren’t a lot of Fascists in Italy after seeing Mussolini hanging from a meat hook.
Take it with a grain of salt. Most of the MSM would cheer if Israel was defeated. It’s what they wish for.
The IDF was annihilating Ham Ass prior to the pause. They get the hostages back and then continue. Can Ham Ass regroup, yes a bit.
Let the annihilation continue.
Sure, the terrorists had a few extra days to dig holes a little deeper. But going forward they better not stick their heads above the ground; same basic situation as last week.
Hamas knew the time when they would end the cease fire, and that is a bit of an advantage in itself. But IDF are so far superior to Hamas, it will only delay their inevitable destruction. I expect after a week or so, a full court press by the dems to save Hamas, demanding Israel stop short of total victory.
Well … duh
Israel needs to take the Elon with advertisers approach with Europe and the democrats and just obliterate the whole region and salt the earth
I’m an old lady and ever since can can remember, this is the way muslims conduct war. When they need to re-group and re-arm they call for a ceasefire. A short time later they attack again.
Nott one genius anywhere in government or media remembers the Tet offensive???
This always happens
“refit, re-arm, and reposition”
From where would Hamas get new weapons?
Like everyone with two brain cells told them would happen?
Oy vey, the world is getting dumber I swear.
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