The Israeli invasion of Gaza, known this time around as Operation Protective Edge, has focused on the perimeter of the Palestinian territory, at least for now. Of course, there are some exceptions: Israel Defense Forces have pushed as far inland as the area north of Khan Younis, as they did during Operation Cast Lead in 2008, to bisect the Gaza Strip and prevent the movement and operability of Palestinian militants. But so far, ground forces have avoided urban population centers and have been only modestly harassed by small militant attacks.
However, this could soon change. Though Israel Defense Forces are advancing cautiously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his country would expand operations if necessary, a scenario the Israeli military has been told to prepare for as the incursion continues to develop.
An expanded assault would bring Israel Defense Forces closer to Gaza's larger cities, which present a host of problems for advancing soldiers. Militants use urban environments to offset their military inferiority. The Israeli military clearly has the advantage in more rural areas, where it can bombard suspected militants without the risk of collateral damage, and with its technical systems can fight much more effectively at night than Palestinian forces can. But these advantages diminish in major cities, which Israel is hesitant to bomb or shell because of the inevitable civilian casualties it would inflict. And so as the Israeli military puts its soldiers in closer range of militant fighters operating in larger cities, it will have to allocate more personnel and material to support them.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Gaza Strip is subject to targeted airstrikes and artillery attacks. In fact, shelling, naval gunfire and airstrikes were particularly intense the night of July 18. Apache helicopters attacked Gaza City, while artillery units and gunships attacked suspected weapons depots and rocket launch sites. (Notably, artillery barrages also prevent the Palestinians from coordinating an effective counterattack.)
If the invasion remains relegated to border areas and buffer zones, the most that Palestinian forces can do is harass Israel Defense Forces with indirect-fire weapons such as short-range rockets and mortars and then retreat into larger cities. But if Israeli soldiers enter Gaza's major cities, the casualty counts may get much higher. In the meantime, as the Israeli military pushes slowly into Gaza, Palestinian militants will continue to deploy anti-tank weapons, mortar teams and snipers to slow the advance, and to try and inflict casualties rather than massing forces and engaging them directly.
