The gradual progress of the present campaign is intended to avoid pitched fighting in built-up areas, while troops are wary of approaching the vast network of secret subterranean tunnels in which H…
Israel’s southern city of Sderot shows flares dropped by Israeli forces above the north of the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas is more ambitious than ever before, yet a new long-term approach is aimed at limiting its own casualties while acknowledging international concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Israel is proceeding very gradually, very carefully, cautiously as it wants to make sure there are minimum casualties,” Yossi Kuperwasser, a former top military intelligence official, said by phone. “Israel believes it is not under any time pressure.” That’s complicating Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas and its leadership after the Iranian-supported group staged the deadliest single-day attack in the country’s history. Several thousand fighters broke through a heavily-guarded security fence and rampaged through communities and military bases in southern Israel, killing 1,400 people and abducting 240 others.
The challenge that Israel faces in Gaza is magnified by the tunnel network, which Hamas says extends for several hundred kilometers and is equipped with ventilation shafts and electricity. Some reach a depth of 35 meters and can even have railroad tracks and communication rooms, according to experts. The entrance to them often lies in residential buildings or other public facilities.
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