2023-10-24 18:42:32
CWhen the expansion starts ground military offensive of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Gaza, following the October 7 terrorist attack which left more than 1,400 dead and 220 kidnapped, the campaign will be led by tanks and bulldozers in a «existential struggle».
This is what commentators from Israel and the United States point out in anticipation of what, it is taken for granted, will be a new entry of IDF troops into the Palestinian enclave from where the Hamas militants who infiltrated the south of the country left and hostages are held captive.
Speaking publicly on Tuesday, IDF chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that, for now, the ground offensive is being delayed for “tactical and strategic” reasons, but assured that the army “is ready” to enter Gaza. .
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“We are taking advantage of every minute to be even more prepared,” Halevi said.
“And every minute that passes on the other side,” he added, “we attack the enemy even more, eliminate terrorists, destroy infrastructure and collect more intelligence for the next stage.”
The senior military officer acknowledged that there are “tactical and even strategic considerations” that delay the ground offensive. But he warned: Israel “is our state, our home, and we will defend it by all means.”
“Abundance of weapons” in the Palestinian enclave
An article by analyst Udi Etzion on the popular Israeli portal Walla noted that, unlike previous campaigns, the ground phase of Operation Iron Swords will begin with the advance on Gaza of “armored vehicles, improved tanks and bulldozers”.
The forces that “are supposed to enter the Gaza Strip as soon as the government approves the ground phase of the war” will have to face this time a recharged Hamas“with a abundance of weaponssome smuggled and others manufactured in the strip, RPG rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosive drones,” said Etzion.
For this reason, he indicated, “it is doubtful that we will see the entry of combat columns on foot, as in previous operations.” Instead, the first batch would be made up of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, improved Merkava tanks (developed in Israel) and other armored vehicles that have joined the ranks of the IDF in recent years.
New tanks and improved tanks
The commentator stated that The Israeli army has “hundreds” of armored personnel carriers protected by a missile defense device developed by the company Elbit Systemsone of the main ones in the country.
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The IDF continues to prepare for the next phase of the war
During the last few days, plans were approved for the expansion of combat. Regular and reserve IDF units are deployed in the field, and conduct training in accordance with the approved operational plans >> pic.twitter.com/FQz3ZpvtwC
— Israel Defense Forces (@idfonline) October 21, 2023
Additionally, with the help of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the IDF “converted many dozens of former tanks Merkavamainly of the Mark-3 model, in special armored vehicles for technical squads and command teams, he added.
«They are not as protected as the Mark-4 tanks, but They represent a great improvement in the protection of their crews compared to the old M113″ APCs developed in the United States, Walla’s note noted.
The armored columns, he speculated, “will probably be led this time by the D9 bulldozers of the Corps of Engineersto clear obstacles in the way” and to “demolished houses where terrorist squads are hiding”, among other tasks.
Along with the upgraded tanks and bulldozers, the IDF mechanized divisions have two new generation vehicles, starting with the Merkava Valso known as Barak, a 65-ton armored beast with the same 120mm cannon as its predecessor, the IV, but with a sophisticated security and Artificial Intelligence system.
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Peripheral view
Presented in September of this year, the Barak has different sensors to detect enemy forcesa series of 21” multi-touch screens, helmets with binoculars similar to those used by fighter jet pilots and a 360-degree peripheral view system in virtual reality.
It also has an improved version of the Trophy, an intelligent system designed by the companies Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) that creates an interception barrier once morest missiles or propelled grenades launched once morest the tank and destroys them through a shock wave.
The other novelty among the IDF vehicles is the Eitan, a light armored personnel carrier that can move at speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour and has technologies used in the Merkava.
The Eitan, IDF spokespersons said in May of this year, when they were introduced, will replace the aging M113 to “ensure that our combat soldiers are equipped with state-of-the-art, highly protected and capable weapons systems, helping them ensure the victory on the battlefield and ensure their safety and return home.
This vehicle It moves with eight wheels, without chainsand is covered with an active protection system Iron Fist Light Decoupled produced by Elbit and capable of countering RPG grenades and anti-tank missiles.
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“A battle for the tunnels”
The commitment to tanks and other armored vehicles is explained because Hamas elements usually concentrate on infrastructure (generally civilian) and in a network of concrete tunnelswhich can become a lethal trap for Israel’s infantry soldiers.
“I think what we will see will be a battle for the tunnels”said in that sense an expert from the American think tank RAND Corporation, Gian Gentile.
“It is difficult to know exactly how the Israelis will launch this ground invasion,” added Gentile, a former US Army officer, “whether they will do it from multiple angles” or “whether they will do it more sequentially, focusing initially on Gaza City.” , more to the north”.
What is certain, the expert noted during an interview with NPR, is the Israeli soldiers “they will see a group of Hamas fighters who are probably waiting for them”.
Gentile insisted with his theory that, “for Hamas, the tunnels are key. And I think it will be critical for the Israeli ground forces, especially once they get in, to deal with the Islamist group’s militants and their use of that sophisticated underground system built over years.
Fight for existence
The expert recalled that the IDF’s previous large-scale campaign on Gaza It was Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009). It was, said the former North American soldier, “an important operation.”
“But the number of troops the Israelis are amassing today along the borders of the Gaza Strip is much older than the one they sent in January 2009,” he highlighted.
“And the other important indicator of the scale of this upcoming operation is the number of reservists” called up by the IDF chiefs, who They are around 300,000 effective. In 2009, for Cast Plomo, they called “a regarding 30,000 peoplewhich gives a sense of scale” compared to Iron Swords.
When asked what that broad contrast means, Gentile responded: “I think the Israelis see this as an existential struggle for their existence,” the IDF believes “they have to defeat Hamas,” he emphasized.
Why, “If they don’t, they see it as a potential invitation for other actors in the region to move forward” with their aggressions once morest Israel, concluded the RAND Corporation expert.
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