One month has passed since Hamas carried out its large-scale surprise attack against Israel.

Following weeks of extensive airstrikes and various ground incursions, Israel’s Defense Forces have successfully encircled the terror group’s enclave in Gaza City. According to Israeli officials, its military is advancing on its quest to eliminate the terror group.

However, Operation Swords of Iron has not come without its costs.  At least 18 IDF soldiers have been killed since the military expanded its ground operations last week.

Hamas terrorists are using its intricate system of underground tunnels to target Israeli main battle tanks and personnel in Gaza. 

What we know about Israel’s ground invasion

While the exact details of Israel’s game plan and post-war objectives have not been publicized, the Jewish state is determined to rescue the 240-plus hostages that remain in captivity in Gaza and completely wipe out the terror group from its southern border.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists flooded into Israel to wage the most heinous attack against the Jewish state since its founding. More than 260 people were slaughtered by terrorists at a peaceful music festival while entire families were tortured, mutilated and burned in Kibbutzim all along Israel’s southern border. Overall, more than 1,400 people were killed, marking the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. 

Following the barbaric assault against the Jewish state, the Israeli government declared war against the terror group and began a siege of the enclave. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health has reported that thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed by IDF operations. Israel has asserted that Hamas uses human shields to protect itself during targeted airstrikes, pointing the blame on the terror group for civilian losses. 

 As part of the IDF’s siege, civilians have been issued with evacuation orders as a full-scale ground incursion is prepared. However, the only crossing between Egypt and Gaza has been bombed and both Cairo and Hamas have not let civilians out. Israel’s blockade on the enclave is essential to make sure Hamas cannot receive any more weapons, tools or aid to support future terrorist attacks against the Jewish state. Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that an agreement made with Israel has been reached concerning the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

The slower pace of Israel’s ground invasion into Gaza is purely strategic. Urban warfare is extremely challenging and would result in increased casualties for the IDF. For this reason, the IDF has worked to essentially alter the surface area it would be fighting on vis-à-vis airstrikes and in ground capacities.

Instead of battling terrorists in narrow street alleys or in tall buildings, Israel’s armored corps can more easily reach the core of Hamas’ apparatus. 

“Today there is North Gaza and South Gaza”

Since Friday, the IDF entered Gaza in at least three locations.

As detailed by CNN, “Satellite imagery taken on Monday also showed several breaks in the border wall and vehicle tracks, where Israeli forces had crossed into northwestern Gaza before proceeding south on the beach and through farmland. There is also evidence of Israeli forces close to the sea further south. On Sunday a video that circulated on social media showed Israeli soldiers waving a flag from the roof of a resort hotel, which lies about two miles south of the perimeter fence.”

Now that Israeli forces have fully encircled Gaza City and split the coastal enclave in half, Hamas’ suspected headquarters is no longer functioning as it used to. 

Maya Carlin is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.