The American publication Axios estimates the Israeli attacking force at around 20,000, while the Hamas (al-Qassam Brigades) numbers 40,000. Fighting continues in the Gaza Strip as well as Beit Hanoun. The Israeli army has been unable to capture another city, Khan Yunis. Palestinians are also hindering Israeli landing attempts on Rafah Beach.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip would last for months.
 |
| Hamas has built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in Gaza. |
According to the United States Modern Warfare Institute (MWI), Hamas fighters have learned many lessons from recent events in Ukraine (the siege of Mariupol). In addition, the Palestinians have studied in detail the combat tactics employed in cities with similar population densities as Baghdad in 2003, Fallujah in 2004, Mosul and Marawi in 2017.
As for the IDF, they have experience conducting ground operations in Gaza and against Hamas. The last time Israel entered the Gaza Strip was in 2014. To carry out that attack, Israel mobilized 75,000 reserve troops, while deploying three divisions into Palestinian territory.
At that time, the IDF's main objective was simply to destroy the underground tunnel network, not to completely eliminate Hamas as it is now, but the operation lasted nearly two months. The number of Israeli soldiers wounded and killed was 536.
MWI believes that operations in the Gaza Strip will largely shape how urban warfare or defense is conducted in the coming years, specifically as follows:
Firstly , missiles are commonly used even in densely populated areas. As early as 2003, during the Battle of Baghdad, Iraqi forces destroyed the headquarters of a US Army brigade right in the city. And a surface-to-air missile shot down a US A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jet over the Jumhuriya Bridge.
Hamas possesses an estimated arsenal of several thousand missiles. Israeli Merkava IVs were shot down by Yasin-105 ATGM missiles during the recent battle at Beit Hanoun.
Secondly , the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is even more prevalent than that of missiles. Neither the Americans in 2003 nor the Israelis in 2014 faced such a large number and variety of drones, ranging from suicide drones to commercial drones modified for bombing.
Hamas has released numerous videos of its forces using drones, including large ones similar to Iran's Shahed-136. MWI writes in its report that, now in all urban battles, UAVs will be actively used to precisely strike targets, surround targets, and transmit images of enemy troop movements.
 |
| Gaza Strip as seen from a satellite |
Thirdly , there is the widespread use of tunnels and underground fortifications. Islamic State (IS) militants in Mosul spent two years digging tunnels, used for movement between buildings and fighting positions. To retake Mosul from IS, over 100,000 Iraqi troops participated, but the city was almost completely destroyed. The use of underground defense systems was also employed by the Ukrainian army in Mariupol (Azovstal steel plant) and Bakhmut (salt mine).
In 2021, during Operation "Guardian of the Wall," Israel destroyed nearly 100 kilometers of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. It is predictable that Hamas, as in 2014, will use these tunnels to launch surprise attacks on the enemy in unexpected locations, or for defense while moving between combat positions to avoid IDF airstrikes.
Fourth , there was the active use of anti-tank weapons. To enter the city, the armed forces needed engineering vehicles and well-protected tanks. In 2014, the IDF faced fire from various anti-tank missiles: “Malyutki”, “Konkursy”, “Bassoons”, “Cornets”, as well as RPG-7 and RPG-29.
 |
| Hamas fighters |
These shoulder-fired weapons are quite effective, easy to transport and conceal. During the Battle of Fallujah in 2004, a US battalion attempting to break through enemy defenses lost six M1A2 Abrams tanks to these anti-tank missiles. When defending Mariupol in 2022, the Ukrainian army used Kornets, NLAW, and Javelin missiles.
Fifth is the impact of strong defensive positions and the involvement of snipers. Hamas will conduct active defenses based on close combat. This tactic relies on fortified positions (buildings made of concrete and steel, often with multiple basements and tunnels) and snipers.
In 2014, Hamas deployed 2,500–3,500 troops to defend Gaza with mortars, shoulder-fired rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, and small arms fire, mostly from well-defended positions.
The history of urban warfare shows that it can take weeks, even months, to capture a position considered a stronghold. In the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, a German division took nearly two months to capture a four-story building known as the Pavlov House. To liberate Marawi, the Philippine army took weeks to free several isolated buildings held by rebel forces.
Source
Comment (0)