TEHRAN - Israel's Channel 13 reported on Thursday that the Israeli military has withdrawn one of its most highly decorated infantry units, the Golani Brigade, to undergo restructuring following 60 days of combat in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The report highlighted significant losses within the Golani units and indicated that Israeli officials are poised to assess the progression to the next phase of the conflict in Gaza.

The next phase of the Gaza conflict purportedly involves the mobilization of reserve soldiers, the establishment of a security barrier, and intensified offensive operations. 

The development emerged after the Israeli military experienced one of its fiercest battles since the beginning of its ground offensive in Gaza, at the Shejaiya neighborhood. The announcement that Israel has withdrawn its Golani troops from Gaza came a day it claimed to have asserted “operational control” in Shejaiya. It even released some video footage presenting Israeli soldiers' jubilation following their departure from the battlefield.

But reports not narrated by the Israeli army suggest that during the long battle, fighters from Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades ambushed Golani Brigade troops multiple times, resulting in substantial casualties among Israeli forces. The spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, underscored the destruction of 720 Israeli military vehicles and asserted higher morale among the Resistance fighters.
Names of 10 Golani Brigade members killed in the ambushes were published by Israel, alongside reports of four others sustaining serious injuries, including mid-level officers. Some high-level generals are also believed to be among the dead. This is while recent hospital data, as disclosed by Hebrew media, suggest that casualties among soldiers are being underreported by the regime by at least half.

On December 21, another video, captured by Israelis but released in favor of Hamas, depicted the precise moment when a unit of the elite Golani soldiers came under attack in Shejaiya. The footage captures the tumultuous scene as soldiers rush to aid a wounded force, a haunting testimony recorded by a soldier's go-pro camera.

The Golani Brigade was formed in February 1948 after the killing and violent displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians, in what’s now known as the Nakba.  It has participated in all of Israel’s major wars against Arab countries. The Golani units hold a special place in Israel's military, encompassing eight battalions: four tank battalions, two infantry battalions, one paratrooper battalion, and one artillery battalion, alongside supply and maintenance operations.

Shejaiya has earned a reputation as a perilous area for Israeli forces, with Tell al-Muntar, a historically significant hill, adding to its military significance. Notably, in 2014, the Golani Brigade experienced considerable losses during a fierce engagement with Palestinians in the Shejaiya neighborhood.

But Israel’s latest defeat in the region comes after the regime suffered what many perceive as its biggest security and military failure on October 7. 

While Israel has so far pummeled more than 70% of buildings in the Gaza Strip and killed more than 20,000 people in its war against the Palestinians which has been described by experts as “the most destructive in history”, it has so far failed to even come close to its stated purpose of “eradicating Hamas”. 

Israel's military losses and its inability to subdue Hamas indicate that the regime has incurred significant casualties, substantial financial costs, and a tarnished public image with little to show for it. Palestinians have exhibited unprecedented resistance, and the evolving public sentiment in the West is bound to erode support for the regime, even among U.S. and European officials, in due course.