Some Israeli military personnel collaborated in al-Aqsa Storm: Report

An informed Palestinian official says some Israeli military personnel collaborated with Palestinian resistance groups in the fields of logistics and intelligence in the recent surprise attack against the occupying regime.

The Palestinian source, belonging to resistance groups, made the revelation in an exclusive interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency on the third day of Operation al-Aqsa Storm, the largest military operation against the illegal entity in decades. 

The resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip have since Saturday fired more than 5,000 rockets at the occupied territories, with Israeli media outlets saying more than 800 settlers and troops have been killed as a result and over 2,400 others injured.

The informed source told Tasnim that some of the information obtained from the “infiltration spots” had been acquired through long-time collaboration of certain Israeli military personnel with the resistance groups.

“During al-Aqsa Storm, the information played a crucial role in facilitating the infiltration of forces into Israeli districts, especially the military bases surrounding Gaza,” the source said.

The official underlined that the cooperation has not been limited to intelligence and the Palestinians have for a long time been procuring a large part of their equipment from the soldiers and the body of the Israeli military.

Tasnim said numerous reports in Hebrew-language news outlets have underscored the importance of bolstered security measures within the Israeli military as the issue of drug addiction among Israeli soldiers, particularly reservists, had made many soldiers exchange their weapons for money or narcotics with Palestinians.

On December 16, 2021, Israel’s Channel 13 reported the theft of more than 100,000 bullets from an arsenal of M16 rifles at a military base of the Alexandroni Brigade in northern Palestine. However, the Israeli police announced that over 150,000 bullets had been stolen.

Media reports also claimed Palestinian groups, particularly their special forces, have predominantly used in recent years equipment that is in the possession of the Israeli regime’s military.

Hamas praises ‘historic’ al-Aqsa Storm, vows liberation of Palestine

The Hamas representative in Iran said it was a historic moment achieved by the Palestinian soldiers and Palestinian people.

According to Tasnim, reports indicate Palestinian groups obtain their supply of arms through three main ways, including purchasing weapons from arms traffickers in Israel, from the regime’s arsenals and arms depots, as well as collaborating with certain Israeli military units.

The news agency said the Israeli military apparatus has been cooperating with the resistance groups and the fact has forced the regime to eliminate a considerable number of its military personnel in recent years.

“Such an approach adopted by the Zionists has resulted in the growing number of suspicious death of Israeli officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers. Nevertheless, many of those deaths have remained undisclosed under strict censorship of military news,” it added.

Underlining that the Palestinian resistance groups’ success in infiltrating the Israeli military and intelligence services has posed new major challenges to the regime’s leaders, Tasnim said, “Such security breaches in the Israeli army have put pressure on many commanders and it appears that after the conclusion of al-Aqsa Storm, a large number of senior military and security commanders of the Zionist regime will be punished severely or dismissed.”

Since early Saturday, the large-scale multi-pronged operation has featured heavy rocket barrages and surprise attacks by resistance fighters against Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied territories.

Palestinian resistance leaders have described the operation as a decisive answer to the regime’s unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction against Palestinians.

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