Israel’s forward defense line in Gaza: What are the challenges?

“The public doesn’t get that if we stop, Hamas will recover,” said a company commander.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Holding territory it conquers is a key part of the latest iteration of the IDF’s mission to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, as exemplified by the seven new outposts on a forward defensive line called Seventy Ridge, Ynet reported Sunday.

The 70-meter-high (230 feet) elevation runs for miles from the northern to central parts of the Gaza Strip, roughly paralleling the Gaza envelope communities just two kilometers to their east.

Hamas operatives used to fire at the communities from this ridge and dug a network of tunnels underneath it.

Until Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began in early May under IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the army’s policy was to overwhelm Hamas forces in any given area and then leave, which allowed the terrorists to return and regroup, including on Seventy Ridge.

Now the IDF uses the commanding vista to fight Hamas, especially through the constant use of low-flying drones that supply a massive amount of real-time intelligence, reporter Ron Ben Yishai wrote after visiting the troops there nine days ago.

Once the IDF has warned Gazans to leave a specific area, drone operators can assume that people they see through their cameras walking through a rubble-filled neighborhood carrying large bags are combatants, even if dressed in plain clothes, an officer told Ben Yishai.

“Anyone still here can’t be considered an uninvolved civilian,” he said. “He’s likely a terrorist moving supplies, unable to use tunnels since we’ve destroyed most in this area.”

His coordinates were sent to a fire team, and after a drone was dispatched to kill him, his AK-47 machine gun was revealed, proving the officer correct.

There are five divisions currently operating in Gaza – the 36th, 98th, 99th, 143rd, and 162nd.

The troops are working nonstop to decimate Hamas forces and destroy their underground infrastructure, but their progress is admittedly slow, leading many to question what Israel is still doing in Gaza.

One major, a reserve company commander, said the situation was “frustrating.”

“It is frustrating to hear at home that we’re stagnating,” he told Ben Yishai. “The public doesn’t get that if we stop, Hamas will recover.”

The reason for taking it slow is twofold, according to senior officers. One issue is the need to protect hostages wherever the IDF suspects they – or even their remains – may be, and the second is the attempt to prevent the loss of soldiers’ lives.

Unfortunately, the last six weeks have been among the deadliest in the IDF since the war began, with Hamas managing to kill 22 troops in several attacks.

While holding Seventy Ridge is vital to defending the border communities, the troops know that a new hostage deal may force them to retreat and thus give the enemy a chance to re-entrench themselves there.

This is very disquieting, but senior officers are resigned to the possibility, said the report.

“The speed of Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s recovery after the second truce is deeply concerning,” one said. However, he added, “The IDF will protect Israel and its communities from wherever the political echelon directs.”