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Hamas, Israel Deploy Deadly New Tactics

Civilians pay the price of 'asymetrical urban warfare'

By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 11, 2009 4:05 PM CST

(Newser) – The disturbing civilian death toll in Gaza is a result of new tactics being deployed by Hamas, Steven Erlanger writes in the New York Times. Hamas militants, trained by Hezbollah and Iran, are said to be systematically hiding weapons in schoolyards, mosques and hospitals, fighting in civilian clothes, using tunnels to disappear, and setting up elaborate booby traps. And for its part, Israel is countering with trickery of its own, including officers pretending to be sympathetic Arabs calling Gazans to weasel out local intelligence.

Erlanger calls the battle "a slow, nasty business of asymmetrical urban warfare"; one UN official calls civilians, who are unable to flee because the borders are closed, “the meat in the sandwich.” Unlike past incursions, Israel is treating the current assault as a war, rather than a police operation. Troops are instructed to look after their own safety first, and fight back with massive firepower. “We are very violent,” one army commander says. “We do not balk at any means to protect the lives of our soldiers.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Palestinians inspect the damage to a building following an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, Sunday, Jan.11, 2009. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Israeli school children run after a rocket, fired from the Gaza Strip, hit a house next to a school in the Israeli southern city of Sderot, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Israeli reserve soldiers participate in a training session simulating urban warfare in preparations for combat missions in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

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Urban warfare is the most difficult battlefield, where Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a relative advantage, with local knowledge and prepared positions. - Jonathan Fighel, Israel’s International Institute for Counterterrorism

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 10 comments

Stuart

Jan 13, 2009 4:48 AM CST

Nice seagull (swoop in, drop a load of crap, swoop out) You dont like the analogy because its too apt. So answer the question - do you wait until your kids are killed, or do you shoot? Or would that require an honest answer?

Guest

Jan 12, 2009 7:22 PM CST

There have been some ridiculous metaphors that have attempted to simplify this war while ignoring the complicated reality of the situation. Canada shooting rockets into the US., etc. But this comparison has to be the worst of them all. Seriously?

Stuart

Jan 12, 2009 7:15 PM CST

So FreedomMonkie, Your neighbor is sitting on his lawn along with his wife, kids, friends and relatives. He has a homemade gun and starts shooting at your house. Since the gun is innacurate, he keeps missing, but he kills your cat, terrorizes your children and its obvious he's trying to kill someone. You call the cops, but they say that unless you are shooting at him and not him at you, they don't care. Its only a matter of time before he kills you, your wife, or your kids. You have a real gun - an accurate gun. Do you shoot him before he shoots you or your family, even if you might miss and hit his family who are all sitting there while he shoots at you? Or is that 'medival'?

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Hamas, Israel Deploy Deadly New Tactics