Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks reached the center of the town of Rafah on Tuesday, according to multiple media outlets, indicating that Israel intended to fight outwards toward the periphery rather than closing in from the outside.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Israeli tanks advanced farther into Rafah on Tuesday, according to witnesses, as the Israeli military said it was expanding operations in the southern Gaza city amid growing international condemnation.
The tanks passed near the Al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, Palestinians in the city told The Wall Street Journal. The Israeli military didn’t comment on the specifics of its push into Rafah, but Israel’s Army Radio said the military had added a brigade to the five operating in the city and troops were engaging in close-quarters combat with Hamas.
The tactic of penetrating to the heart of an enemy city and fighting back out was pioneered by Israel in the West Bank during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, and later became a model of urban counter-terror warfare. The idea is to confuse enemy fighters by attacking them from the rear.
Israel also (controversially) uses armored bulldozers in its attacks on terrorists in urban centers, carving out corridors for troops and vehicles to avoid booby-trapped pathways.
There is another advantage in the present setting to starting the fight from the center of Rafah: it allows more civilians to escape. Already, close to one million Palestinians are estimated to have fled to nearby towns and camps.
Photo: file
