Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.
Sirens sound in large areas of occupied Palestine after a missile launch from Yemen was detected
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 14 martyrs arrive at al-Shifa Hospital following Israeli massacre of al-Sultan Family north of Gaza.
Qatari PM: We must not surrender to the arrogance of extremists and pursue our quest for a 'two-state solution'
Qatari PM: The only path to peace begins through negotiations and a ceasefire
Qatari PM: We demand that the Security Council assume its historical responsibility, as silence in the face of the law of the jungle undermines international peace and destabilizes the UN system
Qatari PM: The extremists who rule "Israel" do not care about the lives of the "hostages"; otherwise, how can the timing and location of the attack be explained?
Qatari PM: 'Israel's' attack on Hamas leaders in Doha is a violation of Qatar's sovereignty
Qatari PM: The ongoing [Israeli] violations only prove one thing: the Israeli officials' drunkenness on power amid impunity
Yemeni Ministry of Health: The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Sanaa and Al-Jawf Governorate has risen to 46, in addition to 165 injuries, including a large number of women and children, according to a non-final toll

Israeli casualties doubled since 2014, blaming Gaza resistance tactics

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Reuters
  • 17 Dec 2023 00:21
4 Min Read

A veteran Israeli commander, who partook in the 2014 aggression, remarked that the broader scale of the current war has led to increased ground troops casulties.

  • x
  • IOF's Gaza casualties double since 2014, blaming resistance tactics
    A Screen grab from a video posted by the Military Media of the Palestinian Resistance depicting the engagement of an Israeli armored vehicle in Gaza. The video was posted on December 16, 2023 (Military Media)

With 110 Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ground invasion of Gaza, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) casualty count in Gaza has nearly doubled compared to the 2014 aggression.

This increase reflects both the extent of the IOF's advance into the urban areas and the effective use of guerrilla tactics and an expanded arsenal by Hamas, Reuters analysts suggest.

"There is no comparing the scope of this war to 2014 when our forces mostly operated no deeper than a kilometer inside Gaza," said Yaacov Amidror, a retired IOF major-general and former national security adviser.

The IOF faces several challenges, especially in dealing with the extensive tunnel network that the resistance has developed over the past decade, he added.

⚡️Hamas publishes footage of their forces targeting zionist armoured vehicles and troops in Gaza pic.twitter.com/yfhxikPFNf

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) December 15, 2023

This combination has effectively transformed the streets of Gaza into a lethal and intricate maze, the report says.

Read more: 6 officers, 4 soldiers of elite IOF units killed in Gaza's al-Shujaiya

Intense combat

The Palestinian resistance recently shared videos on its Telegram channel depicting fighters using bodycams to navigate buildings and launch shoulder-held rockets at armored vehicles. One video from December 7 in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, showcased heavy fighting.

Related News

Gaza toll climbs to 64,803 with 47 killed, 205 injured in 24 hours

Global hunger strike to support Gaza set for September 16

Another video on December 5 featured a camera emerging from a tunnel, resembling a periscope, scanning an Israeli camp. The source claimed the camp was later hit by an underground blast. Reuters could not verify these videos.

⚡️Al Jazeera broadcasts footage of the Al Qassam Brigades targeting Israeli militants in Gaza pic.twitter.com/VrHKctifyX

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) December 13, 2023

What was claimed by Reuters as a Hamas source, speaking anonymously to the agency from Gaza, explained how fighters strategically approached ambushes, leveraging their extensive knowledge of the terrain, often moving through or emerging from tunnels. Despite acknowledging power imbalances, the source emphasized exploiting their familiarity with the land.

The resistance hasn't disclosed the number of its martyrs, while "Israel's" military claims to have killed thousands, the resistance disputes this figure, arguing it includes civilians. 

⚡️Hamas releases a crazy video showing their fighters targeting Israeli militants and capturing an Israeli armoured vehicle pic.twitter.com/VGahygRhPy

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) December 13, 2023

A veteran Israeli commander, who partook in the 2014 aggression, remarked that the broader scale of the current war has led to increased ground troops, granting the resistance the advantages typically associated with defending forces. Consequently, a higher number of troop casualties is anticipated. The commander requested anonymity due to his active reservist status in the ongoing war. 

Israeli Channel 12 featured an IOF reservist unit breaking through a building wall due to concerns about booby-trapped doors. Mirroring tactics from 2014, the IOF shared images on social media of routes smashed through built-up areas by bulldozers to avoid potential landmines on existing roads. Even in heavily damaged districts in north Gaza, bouts of intense fighting persist.

Mobilizing forces

"Hamas made some huge steps to build up its force since 2014," said Eyal Pinko, a former senior official with Israeli intelligence services who is now at Bar Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.

He claimed that certain advanced weapons, like the Russian-designed Kornet anti-tank missiles, were smuggled in with support from Iran. However, he highlighted that Hamas has developed the capability to manufacture other weapons within Gaza, such as the anti-tank RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade shells, leading to an expanded munitions reserve.

According to Hamas posts, their weaponry includes tandem anti-tank weapons equipped with two charges to penetrate armor, a detail corroborated by Pinko.

Ashraf Abouelhoul, the managing editor of Egypt's Al-Ahram daily and a specialist in Palestinian affairs who has prior experience working in Gaza, noted that fighters strategically positioned themselves in proximity to launch missiles and "locally-made projectiles."

Read more: Families of Israeli captives press regime to initiative prisoner deal

  • war on Gaza
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • Israeli occupation forces
  • Genocide
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Israeli police and rescue teams respond at the scene of a shooting attack where several people killed and injured in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP)

Al-Quds shooting: 7 settlers killed, several critically injured

  • Politics
  • 8 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

Pro-'Israel' far-right Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Damage sustained after a Yemeni drone exploded in Ramon Airport, southern occupied Palestine, Sunday, September 7, 2025 (Social Media)

Yemeni drone successfully hits Ramon Airport in southern Palestine

  • Politics
  • 7 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Iranian Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, waves as he leaves the grave of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, August 13, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran’s Larijani urges Islamic nations to act over Gaza crisis

A passerby wearing a keffiyeh walks past a banner reading 'Welcome to the people's university for Palestine' at Oxford University on 7 May 2024 (AFP/Adrian Dennis)
Politics

Universities cut ties with Israeli academia over war on Gaza

The lethal injection table is shown in the execution chamber at the Utah State Correctional Facility after the Taberon Honie execution Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Politics

Charlie Kirk killing renews debate on death penalty in the US

A banner depicting US President Donald Trump is seen at the arrival terminal of the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, September 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Politics

South Korea condemns US immigration raid that detained 300 workers

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS