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The Morality of IDF Maneuvers in Gaza

(JNS) Col. Richard Kemp - The IDF is facing one of the most difficult and complex combat environments any armed forces have ever had to deal with. Most of Hamas' forms of operation directly and intentionally contravene the laws of armed conflict. Hamas has constructed an extensive network of underground tunnels which add exponentially to the challenges. I am not aware of any comparable purposely-built underground complex that any armed forces have had to tackle in any other conflict. Hamas and its fellow Gaza terrorists have, over several years, been preparing the territory with weapons and ammo caches, booby traps, mines, kill zones, and ambush and sniper positions. They have an armory that includes sophisticated ground combat systems including thermobaric anti-armor missiles, explosively formed penetrator IEDs, long-range sniper rifles, explosive suicide vests, remote detonation equipment, attack drones, surveillance drones and ground-mounted surveillance cameras. In addition, they have positioned a vast array of mobile rocket launchers that continue to attack Israel's civilian population. It is a standard Hamas tactic for terrorists to move unarmed, in civilian clothing, among the civilian population, collecting weapons stashed in civilian buildings and then carrying out attacks against IDF troops. In addition, Hamas is holding a large number of hostages in Gaza, which adds significant complications as the IDF seeks to rescue them and to avoid inadvertently killing them. In my opinion, the IDF has taken all reasonable measures to achieve its mission while minimizing harm to the civilian population and maximizing humanitarian relief. Nor are Israel's military objectives optional or negotiable. To eliminate the potential for a recurrence of another Oct. 7-like massacre, which Hamas leaders have repeatedly threatened, Hamas' fighting capabilities must be destroyed; its ability to continue firing lethal rockets into the Israeli population must be denied; and every possible effort must be made to rescue the hostages. The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA.
2024-01-08 00:00:00
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