Fighting in Built-up Areas (FIBUA) entails lethal urban warfare.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have started encircling cities in southern Gaza after the northern part was reduced to rubbles following relentless bombardment for weeks. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted over 250 air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip yesterday as the war has been on for almost two months.
The Israeli ground forces are conducting ground operations in the 365 sq km of land, supported by Merkava IV tanks for assault and Close Air Support (CAS) from the air force. The IDF released a video of its ground and air offensive in Gaza, demonstrating how the troops are conducting operations, seizing weapons and clearing hideouts used by Hamas operatives.
Gaza's Urban War
The IDF destroyed two rocket launch pads in the Gaza Strip with an aerial strike and claimed that the launcher was used to fire a barrage of rockets into Israel's territory yesterday. The aerial thermal footage shows rockets striking the launcher, followed by a massive explosion. In another video shared by the IDF, the forces conducted airstrikes on "Hamas terror cells" in the Gaza Strip.
The airstrikes in Deir al-Balah killed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, Israel claimed. The airstrikes were directed to destroy Hamas' infrastructure, which includes the complex tunnel network, the Hamas operatives functioning from concealed positions in the Gaza Strip.
The air force is providing close support to the infantry and the armour units close support in the ground assault. Several Merkava tanks with "cope-cages" (metal roofs protecting tanks from drone strikes) are operating in the narrow lanes of Gaza. The Russia-Ukraine war has shown how vulnerable the turrets of a tank can be to drone and Molotov attacks. The 'cope-cage' acts as a layer of defence and is not fool-proof.
Fighting in Built-up Areas (FIBUA), in other words, an area dense with buildings and structures entails lethal urban warfare, posing severe challenges for the Israeli ground troops and armoured units.
Israeli tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers were seen on Tuesday near southern Gaza's city of Khan Yunis, forcing already displaced civilians to pack up and flee again, AFP reported.
While the tanks provide cover for the infantry to move, the ground troops, when operating in narrow lanes of Gaza, are engaged in close-quarter combat with the operatives in the region. A video shared by the IDF shows the army engaged in a gun battle on the streets of Gaza. Assault Rifles (AR) with Holographic Scopes and Light Machine Guns (LMGs) are being used in ground operations.
The ground troops are on a street in Gaza surrounded by destroyed houses that once sheltered the civilian population of the city. The soldiers are charging in with their Assault Rifles and enter the building through a big hole in the wall. Two soldiers, one holding an LMG and the other an AR open fire. A section of soldiers, with helmet-mounted cameras, barge into a building.
The ground troops are using drones to track the movement of Hamas operatives and the intelligence is then forwarded to the air force for air strikes. Meanwhile, bombardment from tanks and self-propelled artillery is being conducted in the region to provide cover the ground troops and soften targets marked by IDF.
The IDF has released several videos claiming how Hamas has used hospitals, schools, and mosques to hide weapons. Israel struck an "armed terror cell" operating adjacent to a school in north Gaza and an additional shaft located in the area of the school. The IDF released a video claiming weapons and ammunition recovered from the location. An Israeli soldier picks up a wire, probably used for triggering explosions, found in a classroom which is in rubble following an airstrike.
The operations resumed after a ceasefire truce between Hamas and Israel ended last week.