Introduction: On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian resistance fighters jointly launched an operation deep into the occupied territories of the Palestinian nation. The operation was named Alaqasa Flood to symbolise the flood of people breaking the barrier as the consequence of the mistreatment of the Alaqasa compound in Jerusalem. Time and again, the Palestinian resistance has warned the occupied forces to refrain from continuing violations of sacred places at the compound and cautioning them that their anger is mounting as they can’t simply stay ideal while those crimes persist. Apparently, the occupation government didn’t heed this warning; they let settlers under the protection of the Isreal Occupation Forces (IOF) do as they pleased without any consideration of the holiness of the Alaqasa, thus the birth of this operation.
Before we can understand the significance and nature of this operation, we have to look at the status quo and why there is a need to do something differently.
The Rise of Hamas: 2 Years
After the withdrawal of the IOF from Gaza in 2005 due to the intense resistance that they faced, Hamas managed to triumph over the Fatah party after the majority win in the 2006 legislative elections and their establishment in 2007. Throughout all this time, Hamas has been considered the only real resistance against the occupation government, and this gives them legitimacy in the eyes of Palestinians.
Hamas was established in 1987 and has close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt. Through the 1990s and 20s, Hamas launched a series of attacks against occupation forces, which eventually led to their withdrawal and giving up the Gaza Strip.
Now, after having successfully established full control in Gaza, the methods used before are no longer effective since the enemy is not within, so in order to create deterrence, Hamas need to develop different strategies, hence the rockets.
In the 2008 war, the occupation government faced a different level of threat as it perceived Hamas to be alternative to Fatah, or at least create division within the Palestinians, which in turn weakened them.
This notion quickly changed, and a ceasefire was broken by Egypt, but on-and-off clashes continued, and by the war of 2014, the occupation forces had in place the safety net, the so-called iron dome.
This air defense system creates a whole new level of security for occupiers; they celebrate it in public places and don’t hide their joy that they can attack Palestinians, but they can’t be harmed.
During the Sword of Alquds in 2021, Hamas tested a new strategy to beat the Iron Dome. These cause new challenges for the IOF because Hamas arsenals have grown in quality. Shortly after, the IOF decided on a plan to deter Hamas and change the rule of engagement.
After that operation, the IOF felt they had deterred Hamas, and now they decided to launch a number of operations to break the resistance in Gaza. Having begun with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), they said they wanted to destroy them in Gaza and cautioned Hamas not to intervene as that operation solemnly focused on PIJ.
Later, there was another operation in Jenin on the west bank. All this Hamas was never involved; this gave them the nod that yes, Hamas is deterred as it understands what is at stake if it attacks occupied territories. Of course, the enemy has a plan to eliminate Hamas when their goal is achieved, so eliminating PIJ is a step towards achieving that.
This causes the occupation government to not listen to the call of Hamas to refrain from violating alaqasa compound because they feel secure and there is little to nothing that Hamas can actually do.
Preparation for the Alaqasa Flood: the situation necessitated the creation of entirely different rules of engagement so that to put the enemy back to their senses that they can’t continue and expect no consequences, the resistance fighters understood that the enemy only responds to force, and from this they needed entirely new methods and reminded the enemy of earlier days.
We don’t have time to explain the technical aspects of the operation, maybe in another write-up. But in general, the resistance fighters put so much effort into training, equipment, surveillance, and intelligence gathering. They mixed all these to create a formidable surprise for the enemy, which is the Alaqasa flood.
Objectives of the Alaqas Flood: there are three main reasons for the operation:
1. To create new rules of engagement: as we now know, the enemy no longer feels in danger and can do whatever he wants; in simpler terms, they don’t consider Hamas warnings credible since they get them in the box and it’s the enemy that decides what happens.
The objective here is to take away that sense of security and show the enemy that their advanced technology, barriers, and intelligence are useless and can’t save them from the resistance fighters if they continue to misbehave.
Iron domes, beams, or barriers are not effective anymore, and all of the occupied territories can be infiltrated at the wish and choice of the resistance fighters. This strikes fear deep into the hearts of the occupiers and consequently changes the rule of engagement.
2. Prisoner swaps: for years, tens of hundreds of Palestinians have been held hostage at various prisons in the occupied territories, some of them children, women, and the elderly. For a long time, it’s been an open case with Palestinian resistance fighters on how to get them back, and this operation will serve that purpose as well.
The prisoners of war (PoW) held by the resistance fighters will be exchanged with those brave Palestinians held by the IOF.
3. Reviving the Palestinian Cause: It’s the nature of humans to easily forget, and that we have started to see. Some people from the Arab and Islamic worlds have started to give up on the Palestinian cause and have been made to believe that it’s impossible and that it’s better they let it go and think of alternatives, which may be better treatment of Palestinians, as the occupation government never really wants to agree to an independent Palestinian state.
For some time, it has been ongoing in secret, but the normalisation between some Arab countries with occupation governments clearly shows that yes, the Palestinian cause is lost. As the US, which backs the occupation, sees, the only obstacle to the arrangements is the resistance in Palestine, and without it the Palestinian Authority (PA) will accept whatever will be proposed to them, especially since Saudi Arabia is in line to join the accord, therefore, the demise of the Palestinian cause is imminent.
Something has to be done to answer the crimes of the enemy in Alquds and the West Bank; thus, this necessitated the Alaqasa flood.
How is the operation unfolding?
This operation has many phases and was carefully designed; we’re now in the second phase of it, and many more surprises await the enemy. I’ll not go into the situation on the ground now, but it is important to keep an eye on the price.
Sheme, 4/11/2023