A militant fires a rocket launcher during what Hamas says is an engagement with its fighters during a battle with Israeli forces amid Israel’s ground offensive in a location given as near Beit Hanoun, Gaza, in this still image taken from video… Acquire Licensing Rights
Published December 16, 2023
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Dec 16 (Reuters) – 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‘ effective 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.
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
RELATED: Israeli military recovers three bodies of hostages captured by Hamas in Gaza Strip
Published December 15, 2023
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that its troops have recovered three bodies of hostages captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack that launched the war in the Gaza Strip.
- The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that it has recovered the bodies of three hostages in the Gaza Strip
- A U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in Yemen struck a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where numerous incidents have unfolded in recent days.
- Danish shipping company Maersk announced Friday that it is pausing all cargo shipments through the Red Sea following the targeting of one of its vessels yesterday by a missile, a report says.
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SOURCE: www.foxnews.com
RELATED: Israel is testing out flooding the Hamas tunnels. Here’s what it could look like scaled up
Published December 15, 2023
Seven weeks into Israel’s ground operation in Gaza, one of the key challenges facing the Israeli military is the labyrinth of Hamas tunnels that it says spans the entirety of the Strip.
In an effort to destroy the underground network, Israel has begun flooding some of Gaza’s tunnels with seawater, a US official told CNN on Tuesday, adding that the Israelis are “carefully testing out” the method “on a limited basis.”
If successful, flooding could be ramped up to degrade the tunnel network on a larger scale.
The method, however, is difficult and controversial. Even if implemented with sufficient amounts of water at high enough pressure, it may prove only partially successful. It also risks contaminating freshwater supplies and damaging whatever infrastructure remains on the surface.
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SOURCE: www.edition.cnn.com
