Tactical Analysis: The Al-Maleka Operation’s Mistakes

On 29 November 2004, two militants from the Gaza Strip performed a suicidal raid (a martyrdom operation from the Palestinian point of view since the attackers knew its was a one-way trip) against an Israeli military site called Al-Malaka (Al-Maleka) inside the strip. This operation took place in 2004 before the former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon decided to unilaterally withdraw his troops and dismantle Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005. In this article, we will discuss the operation step by step from a tactical perspective

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Tactical Analysis: How Hamas Captured an IDF Tavor X95 From the Nahal Oz Pillbox

During Israeli military campaign against Gaza in 2014, Hamas and its military wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam brigades, released a video showing a group of their fighters from the وحدة الأنفاق ‘Tunnel Unit’ raiding an Israeli Army’s pillbox in the Nahal Oz area east of the Gaza strip. Footage from the operation was broadcasted on Al-Aqsa TV (a Palestinian television broadcasting station), which was a smart propaganda move to contribute to the psychological war against the Israelis and raise the morale of the Palestinians. The entire operation was captured on video, although some segments were edited to hide operational techniques. Hamas fighters also displayed the Tavor X95 5.56x45mm rifle captured from an Israeli soldier – the topic of this article. We will examine the footage and analyse the tactics used by the fighters who carried out the raid and captured the rifle.

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