In the early hours of October 7, the world was taken by surprise as hundreds of Palestinian resistance fighters infiltrated Zionist settlements around Gaza through ground, air (drone), and sea operations.

This was in addition to the launching of over 5,000 rockets, with targets landing in the heart of Tel-Aviv within the first twenty minutes, after the resistance declared Al-Aqsa Flood Operation.

It is being described as the greatest intelligence failure in the Zionist entity’s history, more so than the Six-Day War in 1973, as the occupation forces today are far more powerful than they were fifty years ago, and Hamas alone is not stronger than the governments of Egypt and Syria combined. How was the intelligence apparatus unable to hatch out a plan of this magnitude, that will have been in preparation for months and that will have leaned on the expertise of the resistance axis?

Indeed, the resistance has proved its efficacy, as it created a massive effect from simple resources and ideas, such as the simultaneous operation of border riots and firing of rockets, the deployment of hundreds of fighters in several groups and the use of homemade retro technology such as motorized hand gliders to drop bombs, that were less likely to be detected. But more than anything, the resistance has proved its high morale, courage and conviction about real change, sprouting from a spirit so strong it defeats all the enemy’s tanks.

What are some of the anticipated outcomes of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation?

1)      The release of all 5,200 Palestinian prisoners in the jails of the occupation. In the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation at least 150-200 Zionist soldiers and settlers have been taken prisoners, with senior officers among those captured. Saleh al-Arouri, senior Hamas leader, stated, “What we have in our hands will release all our prisoners. The longer fighting continues, the higher the number of prisoners will become.” Gilad Shalit, a former soldier of the IDF who was captured in 2006 during a cross-border raid by Hamas, was released in 2011 in exchange for 1,027 prisoners. Regarding the fate of the prisoners, Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida stated, “The Israeli army prisoners will be subjected to everything that is subjected to Gaza residents. Threatening Gaza and its people is a losing game and a broken record.”

2)      It is likely there will be no more transgressions on Al-Aqsa, since it could not be more clearly defined as the red line and the price paid for its desecration is the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. Al-Arouri stated, “We expect fighting to continue and the fighting front to expand. We have one prime target: our freedom and the freedom of our holy sites.”

3)      The balance of powers has irreversibly shifted. Even if the Zionists decide to carpet bomb Gaza, the reality is that nothing can undo the sheer turning point in favor of the resistance. That has proved it will take calculated measures as and when it sees fit to attack the enemy, on its own terms and not in retaliation to a specific incursion. From now on the Zionist entity will think many times before laying siege on any other part of the West Bank.

4)      For the first time the commander-in-chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, explicitly called for the merging of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Hezbollah has already shown its readiness to enter the battlefront. On October 8, it claimed responsibility for mortar strikes on three posts in occupied Shebaa Farms. The Chief of the IDF Northern Command stated they are preparing for Hezbollah to join the war once ground operations begin in the Gaza Strip and that they are moving forces to the north to defend against that eventuality. The reality is that whilst Defence Minister Gallant may be preparing the mobilisation of the reserve forces to the north, the IDF will have a hard time entertaining the possibility of fighting the army that gave it a humiliating defeat 17 years ago in Lebanon.    

5)      The normalization file with Saudi Arabia will slow down due to the shift in the balance of forces towards the resistance. It will make Saudi Arabia yield reluctant. In a statement released by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, it highlighted the Kingdom has “repeatedly warned of the consequences of the deterioration of the situation as a result of the occupation”.

6)      The Zionist entity has proven its demographic vulnerability- manifested by the settlers’ fear of the rocket attacks and confrontation of the resistance. Tens of thousands of settlers were panicking in Ben Gurion Airport as they sought to flee in the midst of flight cancellations to and from the entity. Moreover, it is now unthinkable for those Jewish citizens of Ukraine, America or Russia to move to the occupied lands, since their wish for safety is the most paramount priority.