The Logic of Israel's Military Actions in Gaza

El Líbero, November 1, 2023

To dismantle the military organization of Hamas known as the Ezzeldin Al-Qassam Brigades, Israel primarily needs intelligence and to act with caution, rather than just military capabilities.

It has been just over three weeks since the barbaric and murderous act by Hamas, and some people wonder why there has not yet been a stronger, clearer, and more decisive action by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to eliminate Hamas’s military capabilities, so they cease to be a lethal threat to the State of Israel and its inhabitants. The entry of ground forces has been gradual and cautious, recognizing that they are literally entering a minefield.

Military actions must be rational; they are directed by the government and demanded by the people who have witnessed their own being violently killed, their women raped, and the abduction of the elderly, children, and women to be used as bargaining chips or to prevent military actions, or eventually murdered in front of cameras to instill panic and fear in their enemies.

Although what is happening in Gaza does not meet the legal definition of war, as there are not two states in conflict, the actions of the State of Israel are directed against a terrorist group with military capabilities that far exceed those of many other countries, and which is prepared to confront them, but without the restrictions or laws of war that apply to Israel as a legally constituted state, and which therefore follows the rules we all expect.

The Gaza Strip is a small territory, filled with tunnels at considerable depths, which not only interconnect all points but may also connect with Egypt for smuggling purposes, and which previously sought to cross into Israel to carry out terrorist actions. These latter tunnels had already been sealed, which is why the attack on October 7 was carried out by other means.

Hamas forces, estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000 men, organized into five brigades, not only use the aforementioned tunnels to hide but also all types of civilian facilities such as hospitals, universities, schools, houses, and apartment buildings. They literally use Palestinian civilians as human shields, as for them, the value of life is not the same as we assign to it.

For them, anything is permissible in their efforts to destroy the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Herein lies the main complexity that the IDF must deal with, namely, how to eliminate Hamas’s military capabilities without affecting or minimizing the impact on the civilian population, which, regardless of whether they support Hamas or not, remain civilians, and knowing that if they do not rid themselves of the terrorist group, the very survival of the Jewish nation is at risk, a nation that is all too aware of what that means.

To dismantle the military organization of Hamas known as the Ezzeldin Al-Qassam Brigades, Israel primarily needs intelligence and to act with caution, a key characteristic we will observe regarding Gaza. This is due to the fact that their enemies will be hiding in their tunnels or behind civilians, making the conduct of a successful military operation very complex. Israel has been engaged in this for the past three weeks, gathering information, which has been used to plan the entry of its ground forces, or to degrade Hamas’s defenses prior to the attack, destroying with bombs, missiles, and rockets the tunnels or their access points, as well as their stockpiles of weapons, fuel, food, and water.

Intelligence is obtained in this case through electronic and satellite means, whether from its own resources or from the United States, and through incursions by special forces, along with possible spies on the ground. Additionally, having information also makes it easier to rescue hostages, who in this conflict hold high value for both parties, far beyond what may be evident, as the respective allies and interest groups are involved in this matter.

Another fundamental aspect in any conflict is the successful management of information operations, known in military jargon as INFO OPS, which seek to degrade enemy motivation and that of their allies, while maintaining one’s own. The incident at Al-Ahli Hospital, which occurred on October 17, prompted an action by Hamas that, by holding Israel responsible, sought to affect the effectiveness of the military effort by undermining the foundations of its ethical and moral stance, and the loss of support in the Western world. Hamas will continue to do this and will have no qualms about lying if those lies help neutralize Israel’s military actions. For them, their survival is also at stake, and therefore, anything is permissible in their efforts to destroy Israel.

In the coming days, we should expect a rational military action that, while seeking to protect human life, will follow its own logic that recognizes the type of enemy and the characteristics of the conflict in question. This conflict can certainly expand into Lebanon and Syria, areas dominated by forces that, like Hamas, follow Iran’s instructions. Therefore, it can only become more complex than what the IDF has already considered taking on.

Finally, this conflict will be won by whoever controls the narrative, and thus the will to fight. Israel will ensure that its citizens and the world do not forget the atrocities committed by Hamas and the objective to eliminate the Jews living in Israel. Meanwhile, Hamas will try to shift from perpetrator to victim, leaving the attack of October 7 in the past, as it brings them bad press, focusing instead on showcasing the alleged atrocities committed by the IDF prior to and during the invasion, while neglecting to indicate that they are civilians they use to protect themselves, and not members of the Ezzeldin Al-Qassam military brigades.

Richard Kouyoumdjian
Vice President of AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero