Abu-Obeida’s multi-layered message

Gaza’s resistance could be transformative for the Arab World

Millions of people around the world eagerly await the occasional televised appearances of Abu-Obaida, the official spokesman of Hamas’ military wing the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades.

There are several reasons for this. His speeches are short and to-the-point. He conveys morale-raising good news about the resistance’s achievements in confronting the occupation. And he does not seek personal fame or attention: he covers his face completely, and it is his resonant voice alone that lifts moods and strengthens the spirit of steadfastness and resistance.

In his latest videotaped appearance on Tuesday night marking 200th days since the start of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip he made several key points.

— He called for stepped-up resistance activity in all its forms in every arena. This suggests there will be an escalation on the various confrontation fronts in the coming days and weeks.

— He affirmed that the enemy remains mired in the sands of Gaza, reaping only defeat and disgrace and ‘achieving’ only mass death and destruction — and that it will be costly for it either to withdraw or remain.

— He reaffirmed that military pressure on the Brigades and the resistance will only make them hold faster to their positions and the full rights of the Palestinian people, and that no concessions whatsoever should be expected.

— Hamas will not abandon its demands for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, lifting of the siege, and return of all displaced people to their homes — and that the movement is firmly rooted and will remain.

— He alluded to Iran’s military retaliation against Israel involving 360 drones and missiles as a rewriting of the rules of engagement that confounds the enemy’s calculations.

— He praised the escalating resistance against the occupation in the West Bank despite Israel’s brutal repressive measures, and cast its hysterical reaction as a mark of its despair and confusion.

— He expressed great thanks and appreciation to all the peoples and groups in the Arab world — mentioning Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq in particular — and around the globe who have taken action in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The resistance in the starved and besieged Gaza Strip forced the head of Israel’s military intelligence to resign and its army to withdraw most of its brigades and battalions to cut their losses. It trashed the myth of Israeli deterrence, undermining the very foundations of the Zionist enterprise. It is entitled, 200 days on, to celebrate its achievements, its steadfastness and resistance, its foiling of the enemy’s plans, and its confounding of its setters and supporters.

Thanks to that steadfastness and resistance, and the ‘unity of fronts’, Iran has become a ‘confrontation state’.

Yemen has developed into a regional naval power that fearlessly confronts Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and the US-led naval forces deployed to protect it.

The Galilee region of northern occupied Palestine has become an inferno, with hundreds of thousands of settlers evacuated because of the long-term drone and missile war of attrition waged by Hezbollah.

And now, the Iraqi resistance has engaged forcefully, directing drones and missiles at US military bases in Iraq and Syria and Israeli transport and energy infrastructure.

So long as Yahya al-Sinwar and his comrades continue leading the heroic struggle in Gaza, and Abu-Obaida speaks out, we can hope for a change and the emergence of a New Arab World that achieves the goals of victory and justice.

https://www.raialyoum.com/1778804-2/