JERUSALEM: The Israeli army's death toll in Gaza is already almost twice as high as during a ground offensive in 2014, a reflection of how far it has pushed into the enclave and of Hamas' use of guerrilla tactics and an expanded arsenal.
Israeli military experts, an Israeli commander and a Hamas source described how the Palestinian group has used a big weapons stockpile, its knowledge of the terrain and a vast tunnel network to turn Gaza's streets into a deadly maze.
At their disposal, they have arms ranging from drones rigged with grenades to anti-tank weapons with powerful twin charges.
Since Israel's ground campaign began in late October, about 110 Israeli soldiers have been killed as tanks and infantry thrust into the cities and refugee camps, based on official Israeli figures. About a quarter were tank crew.
That compares with 66 in the 2014 conflict, when Israel launched a more limited three-week ground incursion, but the goal then was not to eliminate Hamas.
"There is no comparing the scope of this war to 2014, when our forces mostly operated no deeper than a kilometre inside Gaza," said Yaacov Amidror, a retired Israeli major-general and former national security adviser who is now at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).
He said the army "has yet to find a good solution for the tunnels", a network hugely expanded in the past decade.
Israel's offensive was launched after the Oct 7 rampage by Hamas gunmen who Israel said killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage - some of them now freed.
Since the war began, close to 19,000 people have been killed in Gaza, sparking international demands for a ceasefire and even calls from Israel's staunch ally the United States for a shift in strategy and more precise strikes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel would wage war "until absolute victory". Israeli officials have said it could take months before being complete.
"It has been a challenge from day one," Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, told Reuters, saying the offensive had come with a "huge price" in Israeli soldiers.
"We know that we're going to probably have to pay an additional price to complete the mission."
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvaGFtYXMtdHVybnMtZ2F6YS1zdHJlZXRzLWRlYWRseS1tYXplLWlzcmFlbGktdHJvb3BzLTM5OTI0OTHSAQA?oc=5
2023-12-16 09:36:00Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvaGFtYXMtdHVybnMtZ2F6YS1zdHJlZXRzLWRlYWRseS1tYXplLWlzcmFlbGktdHJvb3BzLTM5OTI0OTHSAQA
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar