{"id":154305,"date":"2024-03-15T05:15:33","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T13:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=154305"},"modified":"2024-03-15T05:15:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T13:15:33","slug":"israel-is-doing-a-great-job-minimizing-civilian-casualties-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=154305","title":{"rendered":"Israel Is Doing A Great Job Minimizing Civilian Casualties In Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ophir Falk writes in the WSJ<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Israel has already dismantled 18 of Hamas\u2019s 24 battalions, incapacitated more than 21,500 Hamas terrorists\u2014about two-thirds of its force, including two of the top four leaders\u2014and destroyed significant terror tunnels. By contrast, it took U.S. military forces nine months to take out 5,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul.<\/p>\n

John Spencer, chairman of urban warfare studies at West Point, described Israel\u2019s achievements as \u201cunprecedented,\u201d especially given the complex combat conditions above and below ground. Mr. Spencer says that Israel is setting the \u201cgold standard\u201d for avoiding civilian casualties.<\/p>\n

Israel doesn\u2019t need prompting to provide humanitarian aid or to act with caution. According to retired British Col. Richard Kemp, the average combatant-to-civilian death ratio in Gaza is about 1 to 1.5. This is astonishing since, according to the United Nations, the average combatant-to-civilian death ratio in urban warfare has been 1 to 9. Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties, while Hamas seeks to maximize civilian casualties and use them as a propaganda tool. We cannot let Hamas\u2019s strategy pay off.<\/p>\n

Hamas has four terror brigades in Rafah. That city is Hamas\u2019s last stronghold, and its defeat is a prerequisite for victory. Whoever pressures Israel to refrain from entering Rafah is preventing the destruction of Hamas and the freeing of Israel and Gazan civilians from Hamas\u2019s stranglehold. Gen. David Petraeus, who led the 2007 American surge in Iraq, said last week that the \u201ckey now is to not stop until Hamas is fully destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ophir Falk writes in the WSJ: Israel has already dismantled 18 of Hamas\u2019s 24 battalions, incapacitated more than 21,500 Hamas terrorists\u2014about two-thirds of its force, including two of the top four leaders\u2014and destroyed significant terror tunnels. By contrast, it took … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42962,42959,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gaza","category-hamas","category-israel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t