The war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas reaches its eleventh day this Tuesday (17) with the siege of the Gaza Strip, an extremely complex area for the Israeli army to penetrate.
The 365 km² area has one of the highest population densities in the world and a veritable underground labyrinth with around 500 km of tunnels used by the terrorist group as ambushes. This is the scenario that makes the operations in Gaza a true “360degree war.”
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This explains Vitelio Brustolin, Professor of International Relations at the UFF. In an interview with Natuza Nery, he describes in detail the challenges of a military operation in the area, which also contains civilians, including hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
“To penetrate such an area, an urban area, which is one of the most difficult military operations for any army, the armies have to divide the areas into perimeters. The Israel Defense Forces must enter every building, every house, every room. ”
1 of 1 A picture shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks in Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2023. Photo: Portal/Anas alShareef A picture shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks, in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, on October 11, 2023. Photo: Portal/Anas alShareef
Around 2.1 million civilians live in the Gaza Strip, including around 1.7 million Palestinian refugees.
The Hamas spokesman said about 200 to 250 Israelis were being held hostage in Gaza, a larger number than previously estimated by the Israeli government. Track in real time.
“Hamas has been planning this operation for at least a year,” he said. “The majority of this population is not a member of Hamas or has any sympathy for it… These people are being used as human shields.”
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