Latest news with #MichaelMilshtein
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas likely to step up efforts to kidnap IDF troops, experts warn
"No doubt Hamas will increase its attempts to take new hostages, including bodies of dead soldiers and civilians,' Tel Aviv University's Palestinian studies forum head Michael Milshtein said. Hamas may increase its attempts to kidnap IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, a Tel Aviv University academic told British outlet The Guardian on Saturday. "[There is] no doubt Hamas will increase its attempts to take new hostages, including bodies of dead soldiers and civilians,' head of the Palestinian studies forum at Tel Aviv University Michael Milshtein said. This came after St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip after terrorists emerged from a tunnel and tried to abduct him, the IDF reported Wednesday. Azulay fought back until the terrorists shot him, the military said. Soldiers opened fire, struck several terrorists, and thwarted the abduction. However, Hamas's focus on a new aim of capturing an IDF soldier during operations in the Gaza Strip could offer the terror group significant new leverage during the negotiations for a ceasefire deal and hostage release, as well as having a major impact on public opinion across Israel, The Guardian noted. 'Hamas may release captives to have a ceasefire, at least for now, but is also attempting to capture more … so is signaling that any agreement is not going to be a permanent end to the overall conflict,' Ramallah-based political analyst Abdeljawad Hamayel told The Guardian. "It's not just about gaining a card to play in negotiations but is a key part of the psychological battle. Hamas aim to boost their own fighters and demoralize both Israeli soldiers in Gaza and civilians in Israel," an unnamed Qatar-based Palestinian analyst familiar with Hamas's strategic discussions added. Hamas may only be deploying a "couple of hundred" terrorists in the enclave, but this is sufficient for its strategic purposes, the Qatar-based analyst added. 'Hamas only have a few cells here, but they are very careful and precise with their resources,' they stated. Additionally, Hamas terrorists have undergone a "military transformation" since conducting their October 7 massacre, going from a "quasi-conventional force to one that is suited to guerrilla warfare," according to military experts cited by The Guardian. 'It's a very complicated battlefield for the IDF. Hamas are taking advantage of all the rubble. They are experts in guerrilla warfare and have been fighting Israel for 20 years,' former IDF military historian and Hamas expert, Guy Aviad told the British outlet. 'We are now seeing a form of attritional warfare which is placing some limits on Israel's power and is also having some effect on public opinion across the world,' Hamayel added. Additionally, Milshtein noted that Hamas was eager for a ceasefire, but not at any cost. 'Here in Israel, we have had an experiment with the idea that more and more pressure on Hamas means they will [eventually] give up. Well, how much more pressure can you imagine?,' he said. 'We have killed their leaders. We have destroyed Gaza. But we have not changed the basic attitudes and demands of Hamas,' he concluded.
The National
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Who are the Abu Shabab armed militia that Israel is backing in Gaza?
In unusual public statement last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted 'activating' Palestinian militias in Gaza. Acting on the advice of security officials, he said, it was a way to weaken Hamas and protect Israeli soldiers. The admission came after Israeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu had authorised the arming of a militia, known as the Abu Shabab Popular Forces, in the southern Gaza Strip. The group is named after its leader, Yasser Abu Shabab. Now, Hamas has a new rival amid its battle with Israel. Hamas fighters have retaliated at the gang and claimed to have killed dozens from its small-but-growing ranks. It is believed that there are only 300 men serving Abu Shabab but sources told The National they are armed with assault rifles and are equipped with walkie-talkies and night-vision goggles. Among them are men with criminal records and links to ISIS. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to experts about the origins of Abu Shabab, why the group is surfacing now and how Israel is backing it. She is joined by Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relation's Mena programme, and Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Nahar Net
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Israel plans to keep troops in West Bank's Jenin indefinitely
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 January 2025, 11:57 Israel's defense minister indicated Wednesday that the military plans to keep soldiers in the flashpoint city of Jenin for the foreseeable future, as Israeli forces have focused on a major crackdown in the northern West Bank during the ceasefire in Gaza. Israel Katz pledged that the urban refugee camp in Jenin — long a bastion for Palestinian militancy — 'will not return to what it was.' The military said it has killed 18 alleged Palestinian militants during the nine-day operation in and around Jenin, during which soldiers and armored bulldozers have caused widespread damage and destroyed scores of homes. Palestinian health officials have not released a total death toll, but say Israeli fire has killed roughly 20 Palestinians since the start of the raid, including a 2-year-old girl. Israel's military has pledged to investigate her death. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank overnight and into Wednesday. A 23-year-old man was shot dead in Tulkarem and a 25-year-old man was killed in a strike on Jenin. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its reports. - Israeli expert says West Bank operation lacks a clear goal - Michael Milshtein, an Israeli expert on Palestinian affairs and a former Israeli intelligence officer, said he is worried that the military's current operation in the West Bank city of Jenin lacked a clear goal and risked entrenching an Israeli presence there. Israel's raid follows a recent — and rare — incursion into Jenin by the the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied territory and is deeply unpopular among Palestinians. 'We are faced with a situation where the Palestinian Authority didn't solve anything in Jenin,' Milshtein said Wednesday. 'I'm very worried that in a short amount of time we will find ourselves as the ones responding to civil issues there as well.' The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there.
