Israel’s military has initiated a new phase in its ongoing conflict with Hamas, designated as Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. This operation is a major new escalation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take control of Gaza City. Military officials are trying to turn that densely populated city into a “wasteland.” The new operation opens just after Hamas’s capture of Rafah. This advancement could be a foretaste of the hardships and tactics we are bound to encounter in Gaza City.
The IDF intends to call up some 130,000 soldiers for this operation. This is a huge escalation from the 50,000 that were rolled out during the Rafah ground invasion. As Ian M. F. McCulloh reported earlier this week, U.S. officials anticipate the seizure of Gaza City will be difficult. The city’s deep defenses and even deeper population density – at 48,000 people per square kilometer, the highest on earth – will present unparalleled challenges. According to the military’s own estimates, as many as a third of Gaza City’s residents may not heed the evacuation orders when the ground offensive is launched.
Conditions in Gaza City
Gaza City is only 30 kilometers from Al-Mawasi. Despite being designated a “safe zone,” Al-Mawasi continues to face regular airstrikes. As the war escalates, more than a million people are now leaving Rafah. For a lot of them, they’re escaping for the third or fourth time. As the maneuvering operation nears, evacuation warnings will be given to civilians in and around Gaza City. Then residents need to pack up and temporarily leave their houses by October 7.
The logistics of evacuation pose significant challenges. Tens of thousands of additional patients now swarm hospitals in Gaza City. Nearly half of the remaining operational medical facilities are located there. These patients would have to be evacuated in even more worsening conditions. Jerome Grimaud, a medical professional working in the area, stated:
“People who we are taking care of need almost twice as many calories as a normal person to heal.” – Jerome Grimaud
With fuel shortages and hazardous routes making regular efforts impossible, some patients might need to be evacuated by emergency vehicles like this one. Grimaud further noted:
“We have patients in very difficult conditions, the road is not good, the road is not safe, fuel is limited, so you can expect that some patients will be basically carried on donkey carts.” – Jerome Grimaud
Military Strategy and Concerns
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli military, previously expressed alarm regarding the physical condition of reservists. He is concerned that their exhaustion levels may impact their effectiveness in this complex operation. The urban warfare likely to be seen in Gaza City would be a far cry from the earlier clashes in Rafah. Brigadier General Amir Avivi indicated that the fighting in Gaza City may unfold at a deliberate pace due to complex underground tunnel networks utilized by Hamas.
“There are very elaborate tunnels that exist there, so the fighting will be a slow pace because you cannot just manoeuvre fast above ground,” – Brigadier General Amir Avivi
Although military leadership was still upbeat that weakness inflicted on Hamas has been substantial. This ideology comes from previous military operations directly targeting their command structure. Avivi asserted:
“Hamas has been weakened dramatically, the morale is really, really low, and the IDF took out almost all the leadership of Hamas and they are recruiting 16-year-old kids.” – Brigadier General Avivi
He added that he expects Hamas to be effectively dismantled within weeks of the IDF’s entry into Gaza City.
“It’s obvious that once the IDF goes into Gaza City within a few weeks, Hamas will be destroyed.” – Brigadier General Avivi
Humanitarian Impact and Civilian Response
With ongoing militarization across the territory, civilian humanitarian and governmental conditions are breaking down swiftly. Amjad Iraqi, a spokesperson for various humanitarian organizations, highlighted that areas designated as humanitarian zones have been subjected to bombardment and inadequate aid deliveries. He remarked:
“Since the beginning of the war, humanitarian zones were bombed, humanitarian zones were targeted, humanitarian zones did not get the aid they were supposed to get or were promised.” – Amjad Iraqi
Iraqi described these zones as traps rather than safe havens for civilians:
“And it’s only gotten worse as time goes by. These zones have become traps, and to even think about them as humanitarian zones is totally misleading.” – Amjad Iraqi
The tenuous state has pushed many residents to voice hesitance at the prospect of evacuating in a southward direction. Hind Mohammed Abu Warda shared her perspective:
“Even if we die, we won’t go to the south [of Gaza]. The south is worse than here; there is no safety here or there … it is all the same.” – Hind Mohammed Abu Warda
