The Israeli army expels two officers whose forces fled in the face of resistance in Gaza

Occupied Jerusalem- The Israeli army expelled a combat battalion commander and his deputy after they retreated before an ambush by fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) during the ground battles that took place in the northern Gaza Strip before the temporary truce and ceasefire entered into force, according to what was reported by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. Israeli.

The newspaper stated in its issue issued – today, Monday – that the army leadership decided to dismiss two officers from a combat unit participating in the ground incursion into northern Gaza, as their dismissal came at the height of the ground operations, apparently in the days before the temporary truce entered into force.

The Army Command justified its decision to dismiss the two officers from supervising the combat unit during the war on Gaza and ground military operations, by saying that the battalion they supervised withdrew from its position during a ground maneuver.

The newspaper reported that the soldiers in the combat unit decided to withdraw because the combat unit did not have military support or air cover when its members were exposed to heavy fire by dozens of fighters from the Qassam Brigades who ambushed the Israeli soldiers.

From the point of view of the Israeli army, the withdrawal and retreat, and the resulting event that the army described as “unusual,” caused a “severe crisis” between the company commanders, their fighters, and the battalion commander, which prompted about half of those soldiers not to return to military service and fight in Gaza. After the officer decided to leave the battalion at the request of army commanders.

The newspaper reported that the soldiers of the company and the combat unit said that they did not receive support or air cover from the Israeli Air Force, when they fell into an ambush by Al-Qassam Brigades fighters. Accordingly, the military company withdrew and retreated back in front of dozens of gunmen who ambushed the invading Israeli army forces.

The newspaper’s military affairs correspondent, Yoav Zeitoun, quoted Israeli army officers as saying, “The military force from the combat unit was sent to a ground mission in the Gaza Strip, and its condition was poor and unprepared, after the unit’s soldiers had been on long and arduous military missions and activities in the Gaza Strip, and they were transferred to The ground battle, without them having time to rest, as the event caused a difficult atmosphere within the battalion.”

In an effort to contain the crisis and prevent it from spreading for fear that it would affect other units in the army, the Israeli army decided to take all the soldiers of the battalion and the combat unit to rest in the area of ​​the city of Ashkelon (Ashkelon). It was also decided to change the two officers responsible for the company during the ground maneuver and the war on Gaza.

The newspaper pointed out that since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the aforementioned battalion and combat unit were exposed to other serious events during the month of October last year, which included the killing of an officer and the injury of other officers in the ground incursion battles, in addition to the injury of the officer and the battalion’s brigade, around which the controversy centers, after the withdrawal and retreat. To the rear in front of the ambush of Qassam elements.

In order to fill the shortage of soldiers from the combat unit that was removed from northern Gaza, the newspaper reported that the Israeli army mobilized groups of soldiers from other military units to fill the gap in combat forces, noting that the incident “caused a crisis of confidence within the combat unit and the battalion, but it was dealt with in a manner.” It is true and lessons have been learned at all levels, according to what was stated in a statement by the Israeli army spokesman.

The army spokesman added, “The unit and battalion fighters are fighting in Gaza with courage and determination against Hamas.” Because the battalion suffered losses and injuries last October during ground battles, and “after investigating the events and the behavior of the company commander, it was decided to dismiss him and appoint a new commander of the battalion in his place,” according to his statement.

Earlier, the Israeli occupation army acknowledged that it was waging fierce battles in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian resistance, announcing in mid-November that 3 of its members had been killed and others seriously injured during battles in the northern Gaza Strip.

The army explained – in a statement at the time – that the dead were Captain Assaf Master (22 years old), a platoon leader in the 601st Battalion, Kfir Yitzhak Franco (22 years old), who is also a platoon leader in the 52nd Battalion, and Captain Shlomo Ben-Nun (22 years old), a deputy commander. Company in the 202nd Battalion.

According to official Israeli figures, since October 7, the Palestinian resistance has killed more than 1,200 Israelis, including about 400 officers and soldiers.