Palestine Consolidates The ’Shelling for Shelling’ Equation: The Resistance Is Ready for A Long-term Battle

By Rajab Al-Madhoun – Al-Akhbar Newspaper

Translated by Staff

The ‘Israeli’ leadership is clearly afraid of starting a confrontation with the Gaza strip, although the field pressure on the Gaza envelope settlements for three weeks continues. The aim was to force the occupation to improve the strip’s humanitarian and economic situation. In response, the resistance says that it is ready to enter a big confrontation, which began with establishing the “shelling for shelling” equation and the quick response to any attack on its positions.

Gaza - It has been 23 days since the Palestinian resistance and the "Great Return March" protesters revived pressure on the "Gaza envelope" settlements. Since then, the ‘Israeli’ enemy has been content with the restricted response that it has "legalized" the equation of resistance: "shelling for shelling," before it became clear that the occupation wanted to avoid escalation, despite the intensification of the launch of incendiary and explosive balloons. The balloons caused more than 500 fires that destroyed thousands of agricultural dunums. Meanwhile, the policy of launching missiles at the "Gaza envelope" settlements continues. However, the enemy's attempt to avoid a conflict triggered and frustrated "the envelope’s" settlers, who believe that their political leadership is purposely neglecting them. This is what "Channel 13” reporter Almog Boker meant when he said that Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not visited those settlements since the escalation’s beginning. He only talked once with the local authorities there, despite the launching of 22 rockets and more than 500 fires.

Al-Akhbar learned from sources in the “Balloon Units” that qualitative progress has taken place in its work over the last two days, as balloons loaded with explosive and incendiary materials have been launched in large numbers [hundreds in one batch] in addition to coordination between all units in different regions to launch the balloons at the same time. This leads to a large number of fires, and thus to the failure of the ‘Israeli’ fire units to deal effectively with them. Also, in anticipation of any possible escalation by the enemy, sources in the " Resistance Joint Operation Room " revealed that all the military wings of the factions informed the Chamber's leadership of their readiness to participate in a long-term war against the occupation. As to last night's bombing of settlements, sources mention that the resistance vowed to respond to any attack on its positions, and it did so for the second time after the occupation attacked a site southwest of Gaza City, where "Sderot" was immediately attacked with six missiles. After the missiles were launched, the enemy forces started to install additional alarms in the settlement communities due to reports from the citizens of Sderot that they had not heard the sirens.

Meanwhile, the occupation army is preparing for any further escalation with Gaza in the upcoming days, according to Hebrew “Maariv” newspaper. The newspaper said that ‘despite the visit of the Qatari representative, Mohammad al-Imadi, to the settlements few days ago, the situation didn’t change and that “there are no signs of a close solution.”’

In parallel, Hamas responded to the statements of UN mediator and special coordinator for the “peace process” in the Middle East, Nikolai Mladenov, in which he held the resistance responsible for the recent escalations as he said,” the speech… about the Palestinian situation in general and the Gaza Strip, in particular, was surprising.”

Mladenov tried to paint the scene in a way that serves the narrative of the occupation showing it as a victim instead of an aggressor, ignoring facts that a person in his position cannot be ignorant of. The UN envoy warned of an “imminent escalation in the Gaza Strip” suggesting that “the situation in the city and its surroundings is worsening rapidly and there is a rapid rise in the spread of the Coronavirus among the population. With a collapsed health system, permanent power cuts, and a high unemployment rate ... I'm really nervous about that.”

However, he called on whom he referred to as ‘militants’ to ‘immediately stop launching explosive balloons and missiles’ and called on the enemy to “restore the energy supplies provided by the United Nations for electricity.”