The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have surrounded Gaza City, dividing it into north and south Gaza, after targeting the crucial Salah-Al-Din road. While the Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas has condemned Israel’s offensive as “genocide,” the IDF claims it is a mission to uproot Hamas. Prior to the ground invasion, Israel conducted extensive airstrikes to destroy Hamas structures and the underground network of tunnels known as the “Gaza Metro,” which included hospitals.
Engaging in urban warfare, particularly in areas densely populated with buildings and structures, presents significant challenges for Israeli ground troops and armored units. The narrow lanes of Gaza are not ideal for armored units like tanks or Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) due to the risk of anti-tank guided missiles being fired from buildings. Hamas has already claimed that intense fighting broke out when Israel entered Gaza, with machine guns and anti-tank guided missiles being fired at the forces. Israel has been targeting observation posts and anti-tank missile launch sites belonging to Hamas.
The vulnerability of tanks and troops to anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) without close air support (CAS) was demonstrated in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Russian tanks were easily targeted by Molotov cocktails and Kamikaze drones, revealing weaknesses in tank design. The Indian Army also operates Russian tanks, and this vulnerability raises concerns for their troops as well.
Not only tanks but also ground troops face the threat of surprise attacks from Hamas’ network of secret tunnels known as the “Gaza Metro.” Israel has developed a new weapon called “Sponge Bombs” to neutralize the tunnel threat, but the IDF intelligence reports that hostages are being held in these tunnels.
The challenges of fighting in built-up areas were previously experienced by the Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. The IPKF faced guerrilla attacks and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the city of Jaffna. Well-entrenched LTTE cadres attacked the IPKF from unknown positions, resulting in heavy casualties until the Striking Sixth was able to break through and reach Jaffna Fort.
The street fighting in Gaza is expected to continue for weeks, requiring Israel to maintain supply lines deep in hostile territory with a high risk of ambushes. The liberation of Mosul by US-led forces from ISIS in Iraq serves as a lesson for operations in a dense urban environment. Capturing a modern city in such circumstances is challenging, as distinguishing combatants from civilians becomes increasingly difficult.
One major challenge that Israel will face is the Battle of Perception. Despite global concerns over a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel has continued its operation. The United Nations has warned that a ground invasion may significantly increase civilian casualties. A report by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 2017 highlighted the high civilian casualties in urban warfare in Syria and Iraq, with eight times more casualties occurring in cities than in other areas. With a population density of 5,500 people per square kilometer, the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza is likely to persist.
