Gaza City Encircled: Now the Brutal Urban War Begins

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The Israeli army says it has surrounded Gaza City. The Hamas terrorists – there could be as many as 30,000 people in the capital – are trapped. But 300,000 citizens are also surrounded by it. They don’t know what will happen to them.

Escaping from the capital is no longer possible: the Israelis are in the north and south of the city, the Mediterranean Sea is in the west and the hermetically sealed border with Israel is in the east. This tightening of the noose not only prevents the terrorists from escaping, but also prevents the delivery of humanitarian aid, which is slowly seeping into the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the south.

The goal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (74): destroy the Hamas regime and bring the hostages home. The Israelis launched a counterattack after the Islamists caused a massacre in Israel on October 7 and kidnapped more than 200 people. So far, 1,400 have been killed on the Israeli side and 8,800 on the Palestinian side.

Used as protective shields

Doron Spielman, spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), spoke at a press conference about “extremely difficult warfare.” One of the biggest challenges are the many civilians who have not left the hot zone in time, despite warnings from Israel. Many are used by Hamas as a protective shield.

800,000 people complied with Israel’s request and fled south. This region does not currently appear to be the target of the Israeli ground offensive.

Unlike in 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed, this time the IDF is not storming the Gaza Strip at a rapid pace. On the contrary, she fights her way to the enemy, meter by meter. IDF footage shows tanks and bulldozers clearing obstacles so troops can advance.

2014 was a wake-up call for Israel, says Daphné Richemond-Barak, an expert in underground warfare at Reichman University in Israel, on abc.net.au. “Special units have been created specifically trained to neutralize, destroy and fight tunnels.” The slow advance is intended to reduce Israeli casualties and deter Lebanese Hezbollah from entering the conflict.

House-to-house war against Hamas

Isolating the north is the first major step in Israel’s mission, which it calls “Iron Swords.” The encirclement of the capital will likely be followed by brutal urban warfare. Alex Plitsas of the N7 initiative, which aims to promote partnership between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries, said on the portal abc.net.au: “They will probably go from building to building looking for Hamas’ military capabilities .” them – including command and control, weapons caches, key leaders and Hamas fighters who choose to stay and fight.”

But Hamas has also prepared for an Israeli attack by building tunnels and booby traps. Plitsas: “This operation will likely take months if Netanyahu’s goal is to be achieved. It will be a bloody and difficult battle.”

Source: Blick