Israel's military has rallied after an initial chaotic scramble to halt an assault by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and is retaliating with airstrikes on roads, buildings and other sites in Gaza while sending huge reinforcements towards the enclave.
To many of the 2.3 million residents of the strip of land that Israeli forces quit in 2005, the mobilisation and intense bombardment look ominously familiar: the prelude to a ground invasion and one that may match, or even eclipse, Israel's incursions in 2008 and 2014.
But Israel's retaliation has nonetheless been fierce. The death toll from airstrikes on Gaza was at least 830 people on Tuesday and, according to U.N. figures, more than 180,000 had been made homeless. But sending troops into a densely packed, urban environment is not an easy choice, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows "mighty revenge" in response to the huge death toll meted out by the Hamas fighters in the worst breach in Israel's formidable defences since Arab armies attacked in 1973.
Urban warfare erodes Israel's overwhelming superiority in firepower, pitting it against a group which is more battle hardened from previous conflicts and increasingly well-equipped by Iran. The group, which took power in Gaza in 2007, has also had years to build a network of tunnels, which helps fighters melt away. Israeli troops sometimes call it the "Gaza Metro".This time, Hamas also has dozens of hostages it seized in the Oct.
Asked about a possible land invasion, Israeli military spokesperson Major Amir Dinar said: "We are striking Hamas infrastructure and we are going to strike hard and keep striking." He did not elaborate.Two Hamas spokespeople were not available for comment for this article.
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