The new ceasefire and the outcomes of the 11-day Israeli attacks on Gaza are a subject of a heated debate of the media and political analysts. Seeking answers to questions about the aspects of the cessation agreement, the possibility of it holding, and also outcomes of the new clashes, Alwaght talked to Hassan Hanizadeh, an Iranian expert of West Asian affairs.
Ceasefire, a result of the defeat of the Israeli goal to eliminate the Gaza-based resistance
In his assessment of the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Israeli regime, Mr Hanizadeh believes that this decision was the result of the humiliatimg defeat of the Israeli army in its attempt to eliminate the resistance forces in the operation. The jubilation held by the Gazans bears witness to the Israeli defeat.
"But we should take into consideration that the recent developments were a result of Benjamin Netanyahu's adventure to remain in power. In recent weeks, after Netanyahu failed to reach a consensus on a new cabinet and a new figure was tasked with the job, in an irrational and adventurous move, he incited some extremist Likud supporters to attack the Muslim worshipers in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and then ordered police and military assaults on the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque. These two incidents simultaneously led to the brewing of an intifada which Netanyahu thought to suppress within 48 hours. But the previous experiences and the readiness and capabilities of Palestinian groups led to a large-scale resistance from Gaza to Ramallah, Al-Quds, and even Tel Aviv. I should tell that the truce marks end of Netanyahu's power and political position forever."
Israelis afraid of lengthy or renewed war, and ceasefire will hold in short run
Asked about if the ceasefire will endure, Mr Hanizadeh said that if the Israeli army starts a fresh adventure, the Palestinian fighters will implement an all-new tactic and will inflict a new defeat on Tel Aviv. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, admitted that accepting the truce meant accepting a big defeat by the Israeli regime and at least in the short run, Tel Aviv will not repeat recent strategic mistake.
"Also we should know that the Iron Dome air defense which gas been vaunted as the symbol of the Israeli security and stability suffered considerable failure in intercepting the incoming rockets from the Axis of Resistance. This triggered a tendency to introduce modifications to the costly air defense system and hence prevents the Israeli regime from starting a new confrontation at least in the near future."
The equations of battleground saw changes in the new war
Commenting on the transformation of the battleground equations and the balance of power between Tel Aviv and the resistance forces in the fresh war, Mr Hanizadeh held that two surprising incidents should be highlighted in the new round of clashes. First, unveiling the new missiles whose main facilitator is Iran's General Qassem Soleimani— assassinated by the US in 2020— who stood by these forces for years. The field management of the Iranian general, according to the Iranian analyst, over the past two decades is now bearing its fruits. These missiles were made over the past years and their range is 280 kilometers. They can easily reach Israeli targets including cities, military positions, and economic and industrial sites. They can also destroy Dimona nuclear reactor which can cause a huge catastrophe for the Israeli regime and the whole region.
"The fact is that the battleground equations have fully changed now and, just unlike the past, the resistance forces have massive power to confront Israel. Firing over 4,000 rockets at the Israeli-controlled territories in a matter of a few days represented a heavy blow to the Israeli economic and military infrastructures."
He continued that the second issue has to do with the inability of the much-vaunted Iron Dome to address the rocket strikes from Gaza while the system was bragged about by the Israelis over the past years as their win card in any war with Hamas. With the arrival of new Hamas missiles, the Iron Dome looks unable to deter the attacks and this means that the Israeli regime is no longer immune to the attacks by the resistance forces.
"Now on the one hand the Israeli security is compromised and on the other hand the Iron Dome has lost its propagandistic validity."
Tel Aviv sought news blackout on its crimes in Gaza
The Israeli airstrikes on the offices of news agencies during the war was also a discussion topic with Mr Hanizadeh. He believes that the destruction of Al-Jala high-rise in central Gaza city, which hosted offices of news agencies like Associated Press and Aljazeera for a decade, was meant to black out the information stream and disclosure of its horrific crimes to the international public opinion. To do so, it did not hesitate to raze to the ground the media posts and offices, and even to target journalists from various countries to block them from sending to the outside world reports of its heinous crimes against Palestinian civilians that run counter to all the principles human rights. Even when it comes to social networks, the Israelis rushed to block circulation of videos and documents of their crimes by Gaza-based users. To this end, the Israeli leaders pressured the tech giants like Facebook and Twitter to impose censorship on content posted from Gaza.
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