Israel Faces Difficult Choices in Gaza

Israeli soldiers hold positions near the Israel-Gaza border July 21. (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Israeli forces in Gaza slowly but steadily pushed west over the weekend as they continued to identify and destroy the infrastructure Palestinian militants use to transport material and conduct attacks. As expected, intense fighting occurred in the eastern fringes of Gaza City, particularly in Shejaiya district, as Hamas confronted the advancing troops. The fighting will only intensify as the Israelis move from rural areas into more urbanized terrain.

Analysis

Israeli forces have uncovered and destroyed 14 tunnels leading from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Since the ground incursion began, some 39 tunnel access points throughout Gaza have been identified. Though most have been subjected to airstrikes, Israel Defense Forces want to ensure their destruction from the ground, and the search for more tunnels continues, with ground forces moving from building to building in the hopes of locating more concealed entry points.

Click to Enlarge

The heaviest fighting appears to be in Shejaiya, a district in eastern Gaza City. The Israeli Golani brigade reported that 13 of its members have been killed so far in the district, most of whom died when an M113 armored personnel carrier was presumably hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in an area laden with improvised explosive devices. Another soldier was killed when a building collapsed under a direct mortar hit. With these casualties, more soldiers have died in Operation Protective Edge than in Operation Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense combined. Such casualties are not unexpected, given the developed areas that Israel Defense Forces are fighting in.

Hamas claimed to have kidnapped an Israeli soldier July 20, but the name they released was later found to be a casualty of the fighting. Hamas insists it has captured the soldier, but no evidence can corroborate its claims. It remains possible that Hamas could abduct an Israeli soldier; intense fighting in urbanized areas creates a level of chaos that may be exploited by a defending force. In addition, in two separate incidents over the weekend, militants successfully tunneled out of Gaza into Israel and attacked forces on the other side of the wall. The Hamas fighters reportedly carried handcuffs and tranquilizers, demonstrating an intent to take prisoners. Kidnappings have been an effective tactic in the past, and Hamas is thought to prioritize this type of abduction even though Israel Defense Forces are taking considerable precautions against it.

Ground operations along the borders of the Gaza Strip continue, with fighting concentrated east of the main cities of Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City. Air, artillery and naval gunfire persist throughout the territory, engaging designated targets as well as providing offensive support for Israeli troops. Despite the aerial bombardment and ground assault, Gaza militants continue to fire rockets into Israel, though the volume of fire has slowly decreased since the beginning of ground operations. The decrease is partly due to pressure from Israeli operations and perhaps partly because of depleted stocks.

Military and political decision-makers now face a conundrum. To mitigate the threat posed by Hamas, Israel Defense Forces must continue to push deeper into urban environments, a development that will inflict more casualties on both sides. The fighting in Shejaiya over the weekend was just a sample of what could transpire if Israel pushed deeper west through Gaza proper. Another issue confounding strategists is the temporary nature of the infrastructure degradation efforts. When Israeli units leave Gaza, the tunneling and launch site construction will continue and rocket stockpiles will be replenished. If Israel fails to fully exploit its current opportunity against Hamas, or does not penetrate deep enough into the urban areas where the tunnels are concealed, it will not be able to keep what gains it has made.

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog