"Gaza Strip Devastation... Could Be a Prelude to Ground Troop Deployment"

Former Middle East Studies Association Director, CBS Radio Interview
Severe Civilian Casualties Due to Clashes Between Both Sides
"White Phosphorus Suspected to Be Intended for Ground Combat"

Lee Won-sam, former director of the Middle East Society, stated on the 13th about the situation between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, "Israel is almost leveling Gaza through aerial warfare," and added, "Military experts analyze this as a preliminary battle to deploy ground forces."

Lee appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and explained, "Since Israel was caught off guard by the surprise attack, it takes time to reorganize their ranks, mobilize reservists, and move troops," adding, "In the meantime, they are launching missiles as a preliminary battle through aerial warfare."

This war, now entering its seventh day, began on the 7th when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Israel, having declared retaliation, announced that it had dropped about 6,000 bombs and fired 5,000 rockets into Gaza.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, Gaza has a high population density and densely packed buildings, resulting in significant civilian casualties. Gaza covers an area of 360㎢, similar to Sejong City in Korea, and is home to approximately 2.3 million Palestinian residents.

Lee explained, "Civilians do not even know what is happening; they are suddenly being bombed and losing their families in such situations."

Regarding suspicions of Israel using white phosphorus munitions, he said, "The reason Israel is suspected is that they have used it once before," adding, "White phosphorus is classified by the United Nations as a weapon that should not be used because it is extremely horrific."

He continued, "The reason Israel is suspected of using white phosphorus is that when they enter ground combat, they must accept casualties as well," and added, "(Gaza) has many tunnels, so if soldiers advance, the damage will be very large. To clear those out, they are trying to level the area to some extent before entering."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.