I do not believe they have ever had “control” of Gaza. It’s Israeli propaganda.
They’ve pushed in and done propaganda video and images more than once claiming control etc. But they have then withdrawn too.
This video does an excellent job of illustrating what the Israeli propaganda message about what they control is versus what the reality looks like in terms of contested territory on the ground, it also goes into some detail about clear command and control operations as well as organisational oversight demonstrating the resistance is still an active organisation with clear hierarchy, communications and professional organisation, not random groups of resisters carrying out independent acts: https://youtu.be/PGl5ug61DKI
Ultimately if Hamas is still fighting in an area, Israel clearly doesn’t control it. What they claim and what is real are very different things.
I personally think this corralling of civilians is part of creating the illusion of “control”. Herding civilians around using food aid as a carrot makes it look like Israel control the territory when they haven’t actually gained territorial control by beating Hamas. They create conditions where the civilians necessarily have to go to certain areas of the city but that does not actually mean that Hamas has been removed from the areas that the civilians have left. The civilians haven’t actually left all the areas they claim they’ve left either, Israel have simply undesignated everyone still in those areas as civilians.
I think the best way to tell what Israel clearly doesn’t have any control over is to look at what areas they designate as zones where everything inside is considered “Hamas”. If they’re calling everyone in an area Hamas, then that area is clearly not in their control, or else they would be able to allow civilians to exist within it under their control.
When you realise this it becomes obvious just how much of Gaza is not under their control at all.
This is what they claim to control:
And yet we continue to see videos of tanks being blown up in Jaballia and Beit Hanoun, both of which are in these “controlled” claims. Israel have claimed to have fully destroyed the Beit Hanoun batallion of Hamas 3 times now and yet they keep reappearing. Clearly the IDF’s definition of “control” is different to any reasonable person.
So why do this? Probably to maintain the illusion internationally that what Israel are doing is inevitable, that they can’t be stopped, and therefore that trying to stop them is pointless. It’s propaganda that is slowing the sympathetic western politicians from acting because it makes it look like Israel have already succeeded.
Didn’t they have control of Gaza before and had to give it up thanks to Hamas fighting back, too?
I do not believe they have ever had “control” of Gaza. It’s Israeli propaganda.
They’ve pushed in and done propaganda video and images more than once claiming control etc. But they have then withdrawn too.
This video does an excellent job of illustrating what the Israeli propaganda message about what they control is versus what the reality looks like in terms of contested territory on the ground, it also goes into some detail about clear command and control operations as well as organisational oversight demonstrating the resistance is still an active organisation with clear hierarchy, communications and professional organisation, not random groups of resisters carrying out independent acts: https://youtu.be/PGl5ug61DKI
Ultimately if Hamas is still fighting in an area, Israel clearly doesn’t control it. What they claim and what is real are very different things.
I personally think this corralling of civilians is part of creating the illusion of “control”. Herding civilians around using food aid as a carrot makes it look like Israel control the territory when they haven’t actually gained territorial control by beating Hamas. They create conditions where the civilians necessarily have to go to certain areas of the city but that does not actually mean that Hamas has been removed from the areas that the civilians have left. The civilians haven’t actually left all the areas they claim they’ve left either, Israel have simply undesignated everyone still in those areas as civilians.
Appreciate the explanation!
I think the best way to tell what Israel clearly doesn’t have any control over is to look at what areas they designate as zones where everything inside is considered “Hamas”. If they’re calling everyone in an area Hamas, then that area is clearly not in their control, or else they would be able to allow civilians to exist within it under their control.
When you realise this it becomes obvious just how much of Gaza is not under their control at all.
This is what they claim to control:
And yet we continue to see videos of tanks being blown up in Jaballia and Beit Hanoun, both of which are in these “controlled” claims. Israel have claimed to have fully destroyed the Beit Hanoun batallion of Hamas 3 times now and yet they keep reappearing. Clearly the IDF’s definition of “control” is different to any reasonable person.
So why do this? Probably to maintain the illusion internationally that what Israel are doing is inevitable, that they can’t be stopped, and therefore that trying to stop them is pointless. It’s propaganda that is slowing the sympathetic western politicians from acting because it makes it look like Israel have already succeeded.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: