The Battle of Shuja'iya Why did the Israeli army return

Al-Shuja'iya neighborhood has been witnessing violent Israeli attacks for days

For the fourth day in a row, violent battles continue in the Shujaiya neighborhood between the Israeli army and Hamas fighters, amid questions about the goals of the return to fighting in eastern Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, despite the army’s focus on operations in Rafah in the south.

Al-Shujaiya neighborhood is considered one of the largest neighborhoods in Gaza City, and is inhabited by approximately 100,000 Palestinians, many of whom were displaced as a result of the escalation of clashes, especially in recent days.

Military analysts and observers say to Sky News Arabia that there are a number of goals and reasons behind the Israeli forces' return to fighting in the Shuja'iya neighborhood, most notably the elimination of the remaining Hamas members there, especially those who fled Rafah during the past weeks, in addition to the belief that there are A number of hostages inside the neighborhood's tunnels or among residential buildings

What is happening in Shujaiya?

On Thursday, the Israeli army began carrying out an expanded military operation in the Shujaiya neighborhood, aiming to eliminate “terrorist infrastructure,” he said.

The Israeli army ordered residents of Shujaiya and other neighborhoods in Gaza City to evacuate, while it continues raids and bombings, which led to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces are operating in Rafah, Shujaiya and throughout the Gaza Strip, adding that “dozens of terrorists are eliminated every day. It is a difficult battle that we fight on the ground sometimes through hand-to-hand combat, as well as underground.”

The Israeli army announced that during the past 24 hours, its forces killed a number of militants in Shujaiya, found weapons and bombed military infrastructure.

On the other hand, Hamas and Islamic Jihad reported that fierce fighting took place in Shuja'iya, and that their fighters fired anti-tank missiles and missiles at Israeli forces there, resulting in the killing of two Israeli soldiers.

Agence France-Presse quoted an elderly woman in Shujaiya, Siham Al-Shawa, as saying: “Our lives have become hell. We do not know where to go to protect ourselves. Every place is vulnerable to bombing.”

Israeli sources: Hamas is able to recruit hundreds and pay salaries

The secret of return

Speaking to Sky News Arabia, military and strategic expert Mahmoud Mohieddin identified the reasons for Israel’s return to violent and prolonged fighting inside the Shujaiya neighborhood, saying:

The Shuja'iya neighborhood represents a stubborn opponent to the Israeli army, especially the Shuja'iya battalion, which is the only battalion of Hamas forces that was able in the 2014 war to capture a number of Israeli special forces soldiers and kill a number of them.

Al-Shuja'iya represents the eastern forces of both the North Gaza Governorate and the Gaza Governorate, and is therefore considered the only one capable of carrying out operations against the Gaza envelope settlements surrounding the area east of Beit Hanoun and the Eshkol settlement group.

The Israeli army entered a new war since the invasion of Rafah, because the Palestinian resistance elements were able to study the method and method of the Israeli army’s performance, and Hamas brigades began to return to most areas, but in a new way that dealt in the form of small, separate groups with decentralized decision-making.

The shift in Hamas' strategy caused casualties among the ranks of the Israeli army, both dead and wounded, as well as the movement's ability to restore the idea of ​​mobilization and recruit new youth and train them during hostilities.

The Israeli army found that the restoration of the Shujaiya Brigade's capabilities represents an imminent threat to the survival and presence of its members in the Netzarim axis, which divides the Gaza Strip into two halves, in addition to the circulation of information about the presence of prisoners in this area.

The Israeli government believes that military pressure on Hamas is the only way, either to free the prisoners directly, or to put Hamas in a crisis situation that allows for more concessions during the negotiation stage.

This proposal is consistent with what was revealed by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, which said that Hamas was able to recruit “hundreds of new fighters” recently and pay them salaries.

The newspaper said, based on statements from the Israeli army spokesman, that “the army’s operation in the Shuja’iya neighborhood in Gaza showed that the Hamas movement was able to re-pay salaries to its fighters and recruit hundreds of new militants.”

She added, "After a few days of fighting in the renewed attack on the neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, it became clear to what extent Hamas was able to re-establish its presence there."

The military expert stresses that "It is not possible to completely eliminate the Hamas movement or its military wing, given its ability to use the ideology of resistance to mobilize new elements."

This comes at a time when the Israeli government announced weeks ago that it had succeeded in dismantling the “military structure” of Hamas, after more than 8 months of war.

Tunnels and neighborhood history

Military and strategic expert Naji Malaeb believes that the Israeli return to the areas north and east of the Gaza Strip was not only within the Shujaiya neighborhood, but battles also took place in Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia, and Jabalia.

He explained in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” website, “From a military perspective, as long as Israel has not proven the elimination of the Gaza tunnels and the end of military and political capabilities, it is not possible to eliminate all of its elements, and it will continue to carry out specific operations from time to time, as well as muster its ability to mobilize.” again".

Malaeb pointed out that the Shuja'iya neighborhood "has special consideration for the Palestinian resistance, because its name is historically linked to Sheikh Shuja' al-Kurdi, who was killed in one of the battles after Hattin, and thus the Palestinians inherit that Shuja'iya is the heart of the resistance."

He pointed out that the Israeli army, despite the expansion of its operations recently, also paid a price for those battles, as it was subjected to many ambushes set up by Hamas fighters, and thus lost a number of its soldiers killed or injured, as well as part of its equipment was damaged, and therefore it desires its current return. For the fourth day in a row, the entire area was cleared of movement elements, especially the tunnels.

Sources: Al Jazeera, RT, BBC, CNN, Sky News

Keywords: Palestine, Gaza strip, Al-Shujaiya, neighborhood, Israel, Hamas, Middle East