On 12 December, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) suffered heavy losses in a battle in which 10 servicemen were killed, including the commander of the "Golan Brigades", Colonel Bassat.
This unit fought valiantly in the Fourth Middle East War in 1973, capturing Mount Hermon, an important commanding point in the Golan Heights, earning it the nickname "Golan Brigade". Known as Israel's "First Brigade of the Defense Forces," the "Golan Brigade" has always been known for its outstanding achievements and prestige as a leader.
The sacrifice of Colonel Bassat was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the IDF, especially to morale. The battle also raised doubts about the IDF** data.
According to open data, the IDF war** number was declared to be less than 400, but among them there were more than 300 officers, a ratio that raises questions. Some analysts believe that the IDF may have deliberately underreported ** data for various reasons, and the disclosure of the officer** situation may not be able to hide it.
This situation is obviously unbelievable and raises questions about the veracity of the Israeli army's public war report. The IDF fighting in Gaza has not been as smooth as it seems. Although, according to the IDF's war reports, they lost only a few hundred men, the reality was far more dire than that.
Even the fact that the commander of the "1st Brigade of the Wehrmacht" was killed undoubtedly illustrates the gravity of the situation.
The IDF's ** figures have attracted international attention, and the Israeli Ministry of Health revealed a figure on December 13: the Israeli side has lost 10,684 people since October 7. And that number is constantly increasing, now more than 10,000.
This number is a huge blow to the military of any country. At least 4-5 IDF brigades have been horrified and in dire need of recuperation. This means that the 36th and 162nd Panzer Divisions attacking Gaza have already reached more than half.
Hamas's ability to achieve such results is also very remarkable in the previous battles between Middle Eastern countries and Israel.
In the First Middle East War and the Fourth Middle East War, the IDF had more than 6,000 and 6,000 numbers respectively, compared to which Israel's numbers in Gaza have far exceeded those two wars.
The fact that the IDF lost fewer than several hundred people in the second and third Middle East wars does not mean that they did not suffer significant losses.
Despite the fact that Hamas's armament was relatively simple, with only a few light and rockets, and no advanced tanks, heavy artillery, and fighter jets, they inflicted more than 10,000 people on the IDF, and also managed to kill many mid- and high-ranking officers, and capture a large number of Israeli soldiers, including even a brigadier general.
This is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement. At present, the IDF has only a few hundred thousand veterans capable of fighting, and the quality and training of reservists, although numerous, are far inferior to those of veterans. However, the IDF has been unable to cope with the Hamas forces.
Where will Israel go in the future if it has to face a fierce and combative enemy like the Houthis, or an enemy with rich combat experience and armored forces like Allah in Lebanon?Not to mention the threat that they have to deal with Iran with hundreds of thousands of troops at hand. This is a thought-provoking question.