A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Last week, Israel began its long-awaited ground offensive into Gaza, advancing along three axes: two from the north towards Gaza City and another from the southeast. The offensive comes after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed, and the subsequent Israeli air campaign against Gaza, which destroyed significant portions of the Palestinian territory and killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 6,000 people. The latest reports from Gaza show that Israeli forces have encircled Gaza City, cutting the former population center off from the rest of the enclave. We asked three experts to analyze the tactics used in the Gaza ground offensive so far and how they think it will evolve. Read more below. Raphael S. Cohen Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program Project Air Force RAND CorporationIsrael’s Operation Swords of Iron confirms two truisms about urban warfare. The first is that cities swallow armies whole. Clearing Gaza – with its high rises and vast tunnel network – consumes manpower. Israel, consequently, has tried to isolate and then break down Gaza City into smaller chunks, concentrating on Hamas strongholds like the Jabalya refugee camp, but the basic math problem remains. The scenes of devastation from the latter, as well as the Israel Defense Forces’ own mounting casualties, unfortunately, confirm a second truism about urban warfare. No matter a military’s technological or tactical sophistication, urban combat remains a slow, bloody slog. Amos Fox Ph.D. Candidate, University of Reading Chief Human Resources Officer, Irregular Warfare InitiativeThe Israeli Defense Forces are conducting a methodical offensive operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which comes after
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Last week, Israel began its long-awaited ground offensive into Gaza, advancing along three axes: two from the north towards Gaza City and another from the southeast. The offensive comes after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed, and the subsequent Israeli air campaign against Gaza, which destroyed significant portions of
