Israel's stated military goal in the Gaza Strip is to degrade and destroy Hamas's military infrastructure so that it can no longer conduct large-scale attacks on Israel. Achieving this goal requires Israeli forces to move through densely populated cities like Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah. Urban warfare is always challenging for any advancing army, but in the Gaza Strip, uniquely challenging geography and global scrutiny make this military campaign distinct. The Gaza Strip is roughly the size of the U.S. city of Philadelphia. This means the Israel Defense Forces face a smaller territorial military goal to establish control. This contrasts starkly with other recent regional urban warfare situations, such as the battles of Aleppo and Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. In those examples, defenders holding the city often had access to external supply lines and withdrawal options.