Iconic moments that defined resistance during 471 days of genocidal war on Gaza

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

A surveillance drone flies through the open window of a destroyed building and a severely wounded man, his arm bleeding and his face covered with a cloth, sits on an armchair.

As the drone hovers overhead, he musters the strength to hurl a stick at it, displaying a final act of resistance before his life tragically ends when the building collapses from another strike.

The drone footage released by the Israeli military on October 17 last year showed the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s final moments before he was martyred by the Zionist regime a day earlier in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

Sinwar’s martyrdom came months before the Israeli regime was forced to acknowledge defeat to the Palestinian resistance and accept a ceasefire deal that halted the genocidal war after 471 days.

The long-anticipated ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on Sunday, ended the Israeli genocidal campaign that killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women.

The apartheid regime, as admitted even by Israeli media pundits, failed to achieve any of its stated war objectives in Gaza, including the release of captives or the "elimination" of Hamas.

Sinwar, the architect of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, was appointed leader of Hamas in August last year following the assassination of Haniyeh for his known battlefield prowess and astute political judgment.

Despite his high rank, Sinwar remained on the frontlines until his last breath and fell bravely in active combat against occupying forces, while dressed in combat gear and wielding an AK-47 rifle.

The viral footage capturing Sinwar’s final moments showcased his unwavering determination. Despite being wounded, immobilized, and facing overwhelming military force—including a drone, tank, and aerial bombardment—Sinwar refused to yield, further cementing his legendary status.

Hamas has not only not been weakened by the loss of its iconic leaders and commanders, including Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh Arouri, but it has also regrouped and become even stronger.

The Wall Street Journal, in an article published last week, reaffirmed that the Gaza-based resistance movement was still “continuing to inflict pain” through a “new generation of willing recruits.”

It added that the Israeli military for months has had to return to areas it previously cleared of resistance fighters to take them on again in new fighting, and the cycle has “exhausted Israel’s troops.”

“We are in a situation where the pace at which Hamas is rebuilding itself is higher than the pace that the [Israeli military] is eradicating them,” the article quoted Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli brigadier general.

Last Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated that Hamas has been able to recruit almost as many new fighters as Israel killed during its onslaught in Gaza.

The Israeli regime assumed that eliminating resistance leaders and commanders would guarantee victory, experts say. However, even its closest allies now believe the strategy has proven ineffective.

Sinwar’s martyrdom, which has now been immortalized, stands as evidence of the resistance group’s resilience and enduring commitment to its cause despite the loss of key leaders.

There are countless other iconic moments from the 15-month genocidal war that captured the imagination of people worldwide and restored their faith in the resistance and the long-cherished goal of liberating the occupied al-Quds from the Zionist occupation.

These iconic moments carried out by Hamas fighters during this period, not only captured the world’s attention but also defined the indomitable struggle of Palestinians against the brutal occupation.

In late January last year, a video broadcast by Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, showed a resistance fighter donning a long black jacket and white shoes, carrying a Yaseen 105 shell.

The viral footage depicted the intrepid fighter running across a street in Khan Yunis city of southern Gaza before swiftly moving alongside a building’s wall.

The well-dressed resistance fighter then carefully positioned himself and, upon hearing an unseen Qassam fighter shout to “Strike,” he aimed at a targeted tank at the intersection of two streets.

With precise aim, he transformed the tank into a blazing inferno, which was captured on camera.

Despite the life-threatening circumstances, the anonymous fighter’s remarkable composure and attention to style inspired admiration and generated significant engagement on social media platforms.

He became a powerful symbol of Palestinian resistance and defiance against Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, fearlessly confronting the enemy at point-blank range.

Social media users dubbed him the “Palestinian Robin Hood,” “stylish fighter,” and “Hamas’ most elegant fighter” in recognition of his heroic actions and unique appearance.

The biggest and the most iconic images are from October 7, 2023, when the Hamas resistance fighters broke the siege and carried out an unprecedented military operation inside the occupied territories.

On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets and mortar shells upon Israeli-occupied towns and military bases, marking the beginning of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”

Israeli regime's much-hyped air defense systems were rapidly overwhelmed by the thousands of rockets fired from Gaza during this well-coordinated, multi-pronged military operation.

Hamas was reported to have launched 5,000 rockets within a 20-minute initial barrage, sending projectiles up to 80 kilometers into Israeli-occupied territory.

These rockets served as a cover for a coordinated incursion by Hamas fighters. Hundreds of al-Qassam Brigade members advanced towards dozens of points along the 59-kilometer barrier separating the Gaza Strip from the occupied lands.

Explosive-laden drones were utilized to neutralize Israeli watchtowers equipped with machine guns near the Gaza border.

Additionally, armored vehicles and telecommunications infrastructure were targeted, swiftly disabling Israeli military communications and cameras near Gaza.

Explosives and rockets created dozens of breaches in fences. Resistance fighters on motorbikes and pickup trucks swiftly infiltrated Israeli-occupied territory, paving the way for bulldozers to widen the gaps in the fence, allowing larger vehicles to pass through.

Hamas also leveraged motorboats to reach occupied Palestinian territories by sea and motorized paragliders for aerial infiltration, which shocked the regime and its Western backers.

Israeli soldiers caught off guard, found themselves overwhelmed, resulting in the capture of some troops as hundreds of vehicles from Gaza crossed the border to continue the operation.

Images later released by Hamas showed Israeli military bases being attacked with grenades, rocket launchers, and automatic weapons during the surprise operation.

The Al-Aqsa Flood is now recognized as one of the most significant events in the over seven-decade-long Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and aggression.

Despite Israel’s highly publicized military capabilities, the October 7 operation stands as irrefutable proof of resistance movements’ capacity to challenge the Zionist regime and defend Palestinian rights, cementing the event as a pivotal moment in the history of the Israeli occupation.

The operation also set the stage for numerous other military accomplishments by Hamas and fellow resistance groups over the past 15 months.

In the past 15 months, Hamas resistance fighters and their comrades from other groups continued to carry out sophisticated military operations in and outside Gaza.

In one of the iconic moments of the war, a resistance fighter was seen approaching an Israeli military tank undetected, planting explosives, and escaping unharmed before the tank exploded.

It took place on November 16, 2024, in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, when the Hamas fighter, barefoot, sprinted towards an advanced, million-dollar tank and blew it up.

Other videos shared by Hamas from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza showed resistance fighters successfully detonating explosives on Israeli military tanks or targeting them from a distance.

These instances highlight the Trophy system’s failure to safeguard Israeli tanks from Hamas attacks. The Trophy system is a mechanism designed to protect military vehicles from missiles and rockets.

Despite the Israeli military’s attempts to downplay its staggering losses and material damage in Gaza, the available footage contradicts those claims and reveals the hidden truth.

The evidence suggests that the courageous military operations executed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad resistance fighters managed to overpower and destroy some of Israel’s most advanced weaponry.

In a late June report, the Israeli Hebrew-language daily newspaper Maariv revealed that more than 500 Israeli armored vehicles had been damaged in Gaza since the beginning of the war.

It revealed that dozens of these military vehicles had been entirely decommissioned and removed from service, underscoring the impact of the genocidal war on Israel’s military resources.

In another iconic moment from the war, a group of resistance fighters, armed with machine guns and rocket launchers, stealthily climbed a hillock before engaging in a gunfight with Israeli forces.

It took place in Juhr Al-Dik, a village in the central Gaza Strip on December 16, 2023.

The fighters were then seen approaching a tent bearing an Israeli flag, inside which the bodies of dead Israeli soldiers were visible. The fighters continued to battle against the remaining enemy forces.

Hamas later reported that 10 Israeli soldiers were killed in the attack, as the video concluded with a display of M16 rifles seized from the deceased soldiers.

Despite their lack of advanced technology and war gear, numerous videos released over the past 15 months of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza captured the remarkable prowess of resistance fighters in executing surprise attacks against Israeli occupation forces.

In another iconic moment from the war, a sniper was seen taking up his rifle and settling into position. His focus was on a group of Israeli soldiers, and with a steady hand, he aimed the shot.

Instantly, the soldier erupted into a frenzy of retaliatory fire, as the sniper swiftly vanished from sight.

The video of the sniping operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip was shared by Hamas in May 2024 and showed one of the many successful sniper operations.

It highlighted the exceptional skill of al-Qassam Brigades snipers, who have proven to be a formidable force in urban warfare and a significant threat to Israeli regime forces in the Gaza Strip.

The sniper rifle predominantly used by Palestinian snipers in the footage is the Ghoul rifle, a weapon designed and manufactured by resistance forces within the Gaza Strip.

In December 2023, Hamas released a video showing the production process of the rifle at a local factory in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Hamas fighters, along with their fellow resistance allies, continued their complex military operations across the Gaza Strip until the ceasefire agreement took effect on Sunday.

Earlier this month, a report by Israel Hayom revealed that at least 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza in a week.

“The town of Beit Hanoun claimed the lives of five Israeli soldiers today [Monday], joining ten other soldiers killed in the town … within a week only,” read the report published on January 13.

The report acknowledged that Hamas’ military capabilities in Beit Hanoun remain largely intact.

Over the past two weeks, Hamas launched at least 20 rockets into the Israeli-occupied territories.

Hamas is now believed to be operating under the leadership of Mohammad, brother of Yahya Sinwar.

“Hamas is in a very strong position to dictate its terms,” Mohammed Sinwar wrote late last year in communications with mediators involved in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

He wrote in another message: “If it is not a comprehensive deal that ends the sufferings of all Gazans and justifies their blood and sacrifices, Hamas will continue its fight.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk