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Israeli Airstrikes Eroding Hamas Military Infrastructure in Gaza

(New York Times) Patrick Kingsley - Since Hamas terrorists from Gaza raided Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people, the Israeli military has struck more than 7,000 targets inside Gaza. Israelis say there is a necessity and a method to their strikes, which are not about retaliation but defense. The campaign is focused on degrading Gazan military infrastructure. Israeli officials argue that strikes that ease an Israeli ground advance will help reduce the loss of life for Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers alike, once the invasion begins. Israel has targeted scores of Palestinian rocket launchers, command centers and munitions factories. It has also used powerful bombs to collapse a network of tunnels that Hamas has dug deep beneath urban centers. It has targeted mosques that served as weapons depots and operation centers, and has targeted Hamas commanders in their homes. The strikes appear to have curbed the Palestinians' rocket-firing abilities. There were fewer than 20 air raid sirens across Israel on Wednesday, compared with hundreds during the first days of the war. "Israel is not in a hurry," said Amos Yadlin, a retired Israel Air Force general. "The U.S. destroyed ISIS over five years so Israel doesn't have to destroy Hamas in six days." A group of Arabic-speaking Israeli soldiers regularly telephone community leaders in northern Gaza to push them to encourage their neighbors to flee. The soldiers harvest phone data to monitor how many people are leaving particular neighborhoods. This data informs the military's decision about where and when to strike.
2023-10-26 00:00:00
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