JERUSALEM — A battle that killed dozens of civilians and greater than a dozen Israeli troopers practically a decade in the past presents a glimpse of the kind of preventing that might lie forward if Israeli forces roll into Gaza as anticipated to punish Hamas for its rampage throughout southern Israel final week.
It was July 19, 2014, throughout Israel’s third battle in opposition to Hamas. The goal was Shijaiyah, a densely populated neighborhood of Gaza Metropolis that the military mentioned Hamas had reworked right into a “terrorist fortress,” stuffed with tunnels, rocket launchers and booby traps.
The battle got here on the third day of a floor offensive that had been preceded by a 10-day air marketing campaign. Then, as now, Palestinian civilians had been advised to depart the neighborhood, Then, as now, many stayed, both as a result of Hamas advised them to or as a result of that they had nowhere else to go.
As Israeli forces pushed into Shijaiyah, a jumble of squat concrete buildings and slim alleys, militants unleashed a withering barrage of automated gunfire, anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, the military mentioned on the time.
An armored personnel provider broke down. When two troopers obtained out to repair it, a militant fired an anti-tank missile on the car, blowing it up and killing all seven troopers inside. Within the ensuing chaos, Hamas fighters managed to pull away the stays of one of many troopers and are nonetheless holding them.
Within the panicked aftermath, troopers have been ordered to climb into their armored automobiles as artillery battalions fired 600 shells and plane struck from overhead. The subsequent day, Israeli warplanes dropped 100 one-ton bombs on the world, Israeli media reported later.
“The gate of hell has opened, and shrapnel got here via the home windows,” a Palestinian resident advised the AP on the time.
In 2014, “there was a sense of craziness in how a lot hearth was used,” an Israeli soldier advised Breaking the Silence, a gaggle of veterans who’re essential of Israel’s insurance policies and accumulate nameless testimony from troopers.
Fifty-five civilians have been killed throughout the two-day battle, together with 19 kids and 14 ladies, a U.N. report discovered, in addition to an unknown variety of militants. 13 Israeli troopers have been killed.
Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli common who was serving alongside high commanders throughout the 2014 battle, mentioned this time can be “fully totally different,” as a result of the artillery and airstrikes will come first.
“Will probably be an enormous maneuver with a whole lot of air and artillery — a really, very robust entrance. We’re going to attempt to reduce as a lot as attainable our troops’ casualties, and for this, we want a whole lot of cowl.” He mentioned much less firepower can be wanted whether it is used at first and never when troopers are in misery.
The large firepower could have stemmed the military’s losses, however it took a heavy toll on civilians and flattened a lot of the neighborhood. Some 670 buildings have been destroyed and practically 1,200 have been reasonably to severely broken, the U.N. report mentioned. Investigators counted 270 craters.
“It is a hell of a pinpoint operation,” then-Secretary of State John Kerry mentioned sarcastically concerning the battle, in a second caught on a sizzling mic.
Israel has ordered an unprecedented evacuation of practically half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians from the northern a part of the besieged territory to the south. Avivi, the retired common, mentioned that’s meant to spare them. However not everybody is ready or prepared to flee.
“When the artillery will begin, those that haven’t evacuated but will evacuate,” he mentioned.
The U.N. report discovered “robust indications” that the Shijaiyah operation concerned indiscriminate hearth that “could quantity to a battle crime.” The Worldwide Felony Court docket is investigating attainable battle crimes dedicated by each side throughout the 2014 battle.
Israel, which has lengthy accused U.N. our bodies of being biased in opposition to it, refused to cooperate with both probe.
The battle continued for greater than a month after Shijaiyah, via equally harmful battles. It ended with a shaky truce and Hamas nonetheless firmly in management regardless of the deaths of two,251 Palestinians — largely civilians — and widespread destruction. On the Israeli facet, 74 folks have been killed, together with six civilians.
In 2021 the 2 sides fought one other devastating battle, although there was no floor invasion.
After which on Saturday, a nonetheless unbowed Hamas stormed out of Gaza and rampaged via southern Israel, killing a whole lot and dragging some 150 hostages again into the slim, coastal territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was additionally in energy in 2014, has vowed to destroy Hamas. The group’s leaders say they’re ready for all eventualities.
Israel has promised a “very broad” air, floor and naval offensive within the close to future. It has massed tanks and tens of 1000’s of troops alongside the Gaza border.
In the event that they transfer in, Shijaiyah might be amongst their first targets.