According to military estimates, several thousand militants are opposing them in the city.
Active military operations in Gaza, launched the day before by the Israeli army, may take from three to six months, the specific time frame will depend on how many forces and weapons Hamas currently has, experts interviewed by Izvestia said. At the same time, they note that even after the defeat, members of the group will be able to conduct guerrilla operations, striking at the rear. And an extensive network of underground tunnels will help them in this.
How long can the fighting in Gaza last
Intense fighting in Gaza can last up to six months, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia. He did not rule out that the Hamas militants would leave the city under heavy pressure, but would try to return as soon as possible. And the timing of the operation will depend on the current condition of the network of underground tunnels, some of which were destroyed during previous military operations. It also depends on how many forces and weapons the group has left. In any case, after the end of the active phase of the fighting, the militants are likely to continue their guerrilla struggle, the expert predicted.
Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj
Image source: iz.ru
— Israel tried to operate with the most trained units, it carried out operations in one part of the sector, then in another. But after that, he came out of there, and Hamas regained control of the areas again," he said. — Probably, now the Israeli army will try to completely occupy the city. But it will require a significant amount of effort. In particular, less trained troops will probably be involved, which run the risk of suffering heavy losses. The militants try to avoid a head-on collision, but they can wait underground or in the ruins. And they will try to strike at the patrols, at the rear columns. A large-scale clean-up will be needed from Israel, which may take many months.
How does the military potential of Israel and Hamas compare?
Rather, the point is not whether Israel will succeed in defeating Hamas, but how quickly it will happen, with a high probability the group has no options, Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Militaryrussia portal, told Izvestia. The IDF is a full—fledged army, modern, equipped with advanced technology, and one of the strongest in the Middle East.
Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Image source: iz.ru
— It has armored units, motorized formations, helicopter support, drone support, anti-aircraft weapons, and electronic warfare systems. The IDF has the most modern equipment at its disposal. On the contrary, Hamas is a purely guerrilla unit, in fact, an irregular army," he explained.
The expert noted that the forces of the parties are not comparable in terms of the number of fighters. The number of Hamas is estimated at a maximum of 20-40 thousand people, while the Israel Defense Forces has several times more troops.
— Now, probably, half of the Hamas army has simply fled. It is impossible to say that this is a full—fledged military force in this case," Dmitry Kornev noted. — Most likely, we will observe guerrilla fighting on the part of the group: sporadic explosions of tanks, the use of anti-tank guided missiles, and the installation of mines manually on tanks. All this has already happened and, most likely, this is exactly what we will see in the near future. Moreover, aviation, artillery, and rocket forces are involved in the work of the Israeli ground forces in the Gaza Strip. This is a full-fledged military operation by one of the most powerful armies in the Middle East.
Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Image source: iz.ru
According to Dmitry Kornev, Israel is very sensitive about any of its losses and therefore will try to minimize them through the use of shock weapons that allow for contactless combat operations.
From the very beginning, the Israeli army had the qualitative and quantitative superiority in Gaza: complete air supremacy, superiority in armored vehicles, which the Palestinian groups do not have, Yuri Lyamin said.
"The latter have, in fact, guerrilla—type light infantry, which operates based on an extensive network of tunnels built under the Gaza Strip before the war," he explained. — With the help of it, they manage to strike at the rear, at positions that the Israeli side considers safe.
Palestinians fleeing the northern Gaza Strip due to the Israeli military operation
Image source: Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
The main weapons of the Palestinian groups are machine guns, machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, the expert added.
— Explosive devices are causing the greatest damage to Israel now. Large ones are made from unexploded Israeli bombs. Tanks and armored vehicles can be blown up on them. And there are small devices that are attached to the armor," he noted.
Nevertheless, the potentials of the Israeli and Hamas forces are completely incomparable, Yuri Lyamin noted. In addition, even before the start of hostilities, the borders of the Gaza Strip were controlled by Israel, including from the sea. Therefore, the militants had difficulty supplying weapons. Only a small amount of weapons entered the enclave through underground tunnels on the border with Egypt.
Israel began active military operations in Gaza on Monday. "We have launched a powerful operation in Gaza City," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on September 16.
Tanks entered the city. Drones and helicopters were involved. The Ynet portal reported that the Israeli army launched 37 attacks on the city in a span of 20 minutes. According to the newspaper, Israeli forces are firing artillery and launching air strikes. Residents are leaving their homes.
Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu
Image source: iz.ru
Later, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that the IDF would strike until it defeated Hamas. "The IDF is striking the terrorist infrastructure with an iron fist, and the IDF soldiers are fighting valiantly, creating conditions for the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas," he wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter). The official assured that the Israeli military would not retreat until their mission was completed.
The Guardian newspaper reported, citing an Israeli military official, that there are several thousand militants in the city. "We expect to see 2-3 thousand terrorists on the battlefield in Gaza City," the newspaper quoted an Israeli military official as saying.
Roman Kretsul
