Why has the IDF lost 32 soldiers in the Gaza ground offensive?

The Times of a Israel ^ | Thursday, July 24, 2014 | Mitch Ginsburg

[Star Traveler]

As opposed to previous campaigns, the army has a concrete goal — finding the tunnels — which means Hamas knows precisely where to strike.

On Wednesday morning three paratroopers were killed, bringing the death toll since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza to 32. It’s highly possible that those sitting around the General Staff table knew that this would be the price Israel would have to pay if it sought to neutralize the tunnel threat from Hamas. The public, still very much supportive of the operation, has been surprised. After all, during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, over 23 days of fighting, the army lost only 10 soldiers, four of them from friendly fire.

Take the case of the Paratroop Brigade. A platoon from its demolitions company set out early in the morning on Wednesday. Like the rest of the field units, they receive a daily list of objectives. The list can include securing a certain intersection; advancing toward a rocket cache; taking a building known to house a tunnel entrance; establishing perimeter security for demolition forces working on a tunnel, in a hostile environment, with a scary amount of explosives; laying an ambush for rocket squads; and a host of other tasks. The IDF has yet to convey explicitly what the paratroopers were up to but almost all of the above tasks would require, when operating in urban areas, entering a house.

Earlier in the week the Shin Bet provided real-time intelligence about a booby-trapped house in Khan Younis, saving many lives. On Wednesday, there was no warning. A squad of Hamas operatives, lying in ambush, waited until the paratroopers had entered the house and then hit the detonator. A section of the home crumbled and the operatives opened fire, pinning the force down.

[bray]

I thought they were only attacking UN kindergartens. The Marxist Media said they were only killing children???

Pray America wakes up

[riverrunner]

I guess one just has to fight a war hold the ground make sure the enemy doesn’t attack you and kill you with out the loss of life on either side.

When you figure how this can be done let the rest of the world know.

[Diogenesis]

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VERY IMPORTANT.. Obama’s Brother Funds Hamas (Proof Below)

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Why would Hamas negotiate with John Kerry after getting $47 million from him?

Ninth Lesson From the Gaza War: Hamas Will Use Humanitarian Aid for Evil

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Obama to the rescue – of Hamas

The Southern Poverty Law Center Stands Up for Hamas

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Pictured: Obama’s half-brother wearing Hamas scarf that boasts ‘Jerusalem is ours—WE ARE COMING’

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Al-Qaeda, Hamas operatives applied for CIA jobs, say new Snowden files

Obama Officials Met with Hamas, Discussed Removing it from Terror List

Summer Camp: Hamas Teaches Children to Kill and Kidnap Israelis

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[Jack Hydrazine]

It isn’t just Qatar that’s funding the jihad.

[Hostage]

You miss the point. If is not the ‘loss of life’ that is the principle, it is the ‘miinimization of loss of life’ that is principle.

“MacArthur thought the purpose of war was to win with minimal casualties.”

“No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country” — General George S. Patton

[BwanaNdege]

My Marine infantry company in Vietnam over the course of a three week operation had 40 KIA. Out of the 243 men we started with, 90-95 returned to base.

Most of our losses were either wounded or medevaced with malaria, dysentery, etc. But we did have 40 men killed.

However, during one day’s firefight we killed 83 NVA.

[Lil Flower]

You’re wasting your time. Propagandists don’t like the truth.

[mad_as_he$$]

Simple answer. Urban warfare sucks. Lessons for patriots in this battle.

[riverrunner]

I agree but they didn’t win by having no casualties. They didn’t invade Europe and defeat the Japanese by asking for no casualties.

[Star Traveler]

You would be right that they are not the only one. I think Israel is simply identifying Qatar as the PRIMARY funder of Hamas. Turkey is also involved and part of that new block of Muslim countries backing Hamas (as reported in previous articles I’ve posted. Iran was also a former funder, but Hamas and Iran had a falling out. I don’t know if Iran is funding them in small way, but I suspect they are, as Qatar appears to be falling into Iran’s orbit.

And before Egypt deposed the former Muslim Brotherhood President, there was some cooperation with Hamas there. That is over, now with Egypt, as they are hammering Hamas for being in cahoots with the Muslim Brotherhood in trying to take over Egypt.

And Jordan or Saudi Arabia don’t seem to be in the sphere of Muslim countries funding Hamas. Jordan and Saudi Arabia appear to be aligned with Egypt and Israel, against Hamas.

The two major blocks of Muslim nations which seem to have Hamas at the center (one block opposing and one block supporting) are Turkey, Qatar and Iran -versus- Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia - with Israel aligned with Egypt.

[Rashputin]

Because they are being forced to get in close. When that happens probability often dictates the result while in other cases training and experience would dictate the outcome.

[Star Traveler]

Yeah, it’s the “attack tunnels” that have made the difference this time.

[Jim Noble]

Why has the IDF lost 32 soldiers in the Gaza ground offensive?

Because the other guys have guns?

[Star Traveler]

I can see you still confuse both humanitarian aid or aid to the Palestinian Authority, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lobbied and urged Congress to continue supporting (because Israel doesn’t want it’s soldiers administering the PA territories).

And I see you’re also confusing the “unity pact” which is nothing but a “paper document” for foreign consumption ... with Hamas ... when it is the Palestinian Authority” and Abbas who are fully in control of Judea and Samaria.

The problem you have is that you can’t see the details and distinguish what is going on. And you confuse criminals and criminal actions of terrorists with support that the USA is giving to Palestinians, versus the terror groups.

You ignore that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no problem with humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and he also wants support for the Palestinian Authority to continue so Israel won’t have to administer the territories.

What neither the USA or Israel wants is any money or arms to the terrorist organization and neither one of them is doing that.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Star Traveler]

Then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF are propagandists then ... LOL ...

They are the ones who say these things and do these things that I’ve reported here, with aid to the Palestinian and allowing UNRWA to help the Palestinian civilians and saying that they are not against the Palestinian, which the Israeli Ambassador said in the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, just a couple of days ago.

And then there was Israel identifying Qatar as being the primary financier of Hamas and their rockets and building tunnels, again a day or two ago ...

Now that all sounds like propaganda coming from Israel, doesn’t it ... LOL ...

[onedoug]

One reason is that Israel left Gaza wide open for islamist expansion. Remember them pulling Israeli settlers out by force?

Never again, eh?

[Star Traveler]

One thing I read about the cease-fire proposal is that the USA’s proposal has the provision that Israeli troops can remain in Gaza while CONTINUING to clean out those “attack tunnels” and destroying them. In other words, that cease-fire would not mean Israel cannot continue to finish the job on those attack tunnels.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Israel has already agreed to a cease-fire - in fact several times thus far — BUT — Hamas has not. So it’s not Israel that is holding up a cease-fire, but it’s Hamas who is holding it up.

[Lil Flower]

>> Hamas and Palestinian Authority call for “day of rage” over Israeli assault on Gaza after two Palestinians killed in overnight riots north of Jerusalem.<<

Like our day of rage we had when Obama was elected, right ST?

I notice you don’t respond to all pings, like this one that doesn’t fit your preconcieved script. Looks like the PA and Hamas work pretty well together after all.

[gura]

If they know where the tunnels are, why not just drop the GPS guided bunker busters we sold them?