By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Abu Obeida said that the Israeli army hides the true extent of its losses in the Gaza Strip, vowing to defeat the Israeli invaders.

Spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, issued a new statement today, Friday. 

The statement coincided with two videos, produced by the Brigade’s Military Media, showing a large number of Israeli military tanks being targeted by Palestinian Resistance missiles in various parts of Gaza. 

Abu Obeida warned the Israeli army of a certain defeat, commended Palestinians on their resistance and vowed to inflict even heavier damage on invading Israeli forces in Gaza. 

Below are excerpts of Abu Obeida’s recorded statement as communicated by the group’s Telegram channel. 

Historical Battles

“It’s been 70 days since the beginning of Al-Aqsa Flood battle, and our people are still fighting this battle, facing this unprecedented criminal war in modern times. 

“Our brave fighters are fighting a heavily armed force equipped with lethal weapons, ammunition, supported by planes, warships, and armored vehicles, under the cover of forces of oppression and aggression, led by the American administration, which is airlifting support to this entity as if it were fighting a great power among the world’s poles.

“Yet, our fighters are heroically fighting historical battles with light and pride. The whole world sees how our fighters destroy and burn the enemy’s armored vehicles, killing the invading soldiers inside them.

“The world also sees that the enemy pours fire (burns through bombardment – PC) on innocent, secure civilians, including children, women, and elders, indulging in destruction and attempts of displacement, starvation, and torture in clear and evident war crimes that do not require investigation or scrutiny.

Abu Obeida, the military spokesman of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, announced in a speech on Friday that Palestinian fighters destroyed 100 Israeli military vehicles in the last five days. pic.twitter.com/zBwL2seFDc

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2023

Five Days – 100 Vehicles 

“Over the last five days, our fighters have targeted more than 100 military vehicles in the Zionist aggression’s axes in Jabalia, Al-Shuja’iyya, Sheikh Radwan, Al-Zaytoun, the central region, and in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Over the past five days, our fighters have carried out a large number of precise ambushes against the enemy’s infantry forces in Jabalia, Sheikh Radwan, central Al-Shuja’iyya, and Khan Younis.

“These included luring enemy forces into buildings our fighters had identified as accessible to the enemy, then detonating anti-personnel devices and attacking these forces with machine guns at close range. In several operations, anti-fortification shells were used directly over the heads of the occupation soldiers.

“During these operations, our fighters inflicted a large number of deaths and injuries on the enemy forces. Our fighters continuously observe the enemy soldiers’ screams and pleas for help after each operation and their hysterical reaction of firing bullets and shells aimlessly at everything to cover up their state of terror and to retrieve the bodies of the dead and wounded.

“We also monitor around the clock the rescue attempts using vehicles and helicopters across the separating fence. Our fighters increasingly believe that the enemy is using mercenaries in its operation, which it claims to be a war of existence and national dignity.”

Fingers on the Trigger

“O our great people, our nation, and the free people of the world, we in the Al-Qassam Brigades, after 70 days of battles, fighting, and aggression, affirm that our brave fighters, from the heroes of the Jabalia, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Gaza, Sheikh Radwan, all the way to the heroes of Khan Younis and Rafah, still have their fingers on the trigger.

“We see that it is the enemy’s criminal army and its barbaric aggression that is falling apart, not our brigades. What the enemy deludes itself with will soon be discovered as nothing but a mirage and a great illusion, by the will and power of Allah.

“The engagement of our fighters with the enemy forces has exposed how weak and cowardly their army is. They know nothing of morals and rely not on their fighters, but on technology and silent tools. When the moment of truth and confrontation comes, they flee, scream, and plead like children, easily hunted down by our fighters, showing no resistance when stormed.

“And it confirms the saying of the Almighty: ‘They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls.’”

In a just-released video, Al-Qassam Brigades fighters are seen targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers east of Khan Younis with heavy mortar shells, reportedly achieving confirmed casualties among their ranks. pic.twitter.com/06zI8A3j46

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2023

Israeli Deception

“The official figures of the dead and injured announced by the enemy’s army are undoubtedly untrue. The testimonies, observations, and accounts of our fighters in killing and liquidating the enemy’s infantry soldiers document many times the number announced by the enemy, not to mention those killed and injured in the destruction or disabling of vehicles.

“Lying about the number of deaths and injuries is expected from the enemy, as their entire war is based on lies and deception to the world, their public, and their soldiers. However, the truth will inevitably emerge, no matter how much the enemy tries to hide it.

“The public stances of the enemy and the facts on the ground from their crimes in the West Bank every day confirm that this occupation aims to target, displace, and kill our people in all their places of residence, to satisfy the desires of the criminal settlers who govern the entity today.

“The second duty for all components of our people, their fighters, and their masses, is to rise up, revolt, and confront the occupation with all forms of resistance, igniting flames under the feet of the enemy’s soldiers and the usurpers across the entire West Bank, in response to this dangerous plan of the enemy.”

In a just-released video, Al-Qassam Brigades fighters are seen targeting Israeli vehicles and soldiers penetrating the areas of the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

🔻🔻🔻 pic.twitter.com/OaU5IcM1eZ

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2023

Language of Force

“We once again call upon all the free people of our nation and its fighters to escalate their field actions against the enemy from every front. This enemy only understands the language of force and only kneels under fire.

“In conclusion, our people, our great nation, your resistance today, and your fighting sons are delivering significant blows to this enemy every day and every hour.

“The enemy, who sought to achieve an easy, quick, and comfortable victory by killing innocents and civilians and through random criminal destruction, now stands incapacitated, confused, and perplexed by the strikes of your fighters and your legendary steadfastness.”

(The Palestine Chronicle)