Casualty toll reaches 10,000... Israel-Hamas go to ground war in Gaza

Hamas Units in Civilian Areas... "Human Shields"
Israel Intensifies Airstrikes, Possible Preparations for Ground Invasion

As the clashes between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas enter their seventh day on the 13th, Israel has expressed its readiness to engage in a ground war, raising prospects of a full-scale conflict.

Israel has issued a total mobilization order for 360,000 reservists and has warned of a massive retaliation against Hamas. More than 2,000 airstrikes have been carried out on the Gaza Strip so far, with civilian shelters such as schools and hospitals also being targeted, resulting in significant civilian casualties.

The death toll on both sides has exceeded 10,000. As of the previous day, Israeli casualties were reported at around 1,300 dead and 3,200 wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated, "In the Gaza Strip alone, 1,500 people, including 500 children, have died." Palestinian injuries are estimated at around 6,800.

The problem is that civilian casualties are inevitable if a ground war unfolds. The Gaza Strip is densely populated with about 2.3 million people living in an area roughly the size of Sejong City in South Korea (360 km²). Moreover, unlike typical military units that are separated from civilian residential areas, Hamas combat units are embedded within civilian areas and do not wear military uniforms, making it difficult to distinguish them from civilians.

Lee Won-sam, former director of the Middle East Society, appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that day and explained, "In our country, military units are separated from civilians and wear uniforms, but Hamas fighters wear civilian clothes and their units are located within civilian areas. So they are using civilians as human shields." He added, "The reason Israel has taken many prisoners and hostages is also a tactic to use them as shields."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Israel has already declared it will not hesitate to engage in a ground war and has vowed retaliation. Because of this, some analysts believe the current intensification of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip is a preparatory step for deploying ground forces. Israel stated it has dropped about 6,000 bombs and fired 5,000 rockets into the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that Israel has used internationally banned white phosphorus munitions, and if white phosphorus has indeed been used, it is also believed to be for the purpose of preparing for a ground offensive.

Lee explained, "The reason Israel is suspected of using white phosphorus is because when entering a ground war, Israel will also have to endure casualties. Since the Gaza Strip has many tunnels, if soldiers advance, the damage will be very severe. To clear that, they want to devastate the area to some extent before entering."

Hamas is known to have dug dozens of tunnels in the Gaza Strip and is expected to launch guerrilla-style continuous attacks. It is speculated that Israel is using white phosphorus to devastate the Gaza Strip before the ground war to reduce Israeli military casualties and weaken Hamas's forces.

White phosphorus, which has high lethality, spreads toxic substances widely and ignites fires, earning it the nickname "the devil's weapon." It continues to burn as long as oxygen is available, making it deadly to humans.

However, Lee predicted that the current conflict would not be prolonged. He said, "This region is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. If a ground war occurs in addition to airstrikes, Hamas will definitely resist using tunnels and improvised explosives. This will cause many casualties among Israeli soldiers, and to prevent that, Israel will try to end the conflict quickly by intensifying airstrikes."

He added, "Unlike the war between Russia and Ukraine, there will be strong public opposition here, and the Middle East situation is extremely urgent."

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