Analysis: Why is Israel’s military killing so many of its own?

The perils of urban warfare, coupled with operational issues within the army, appear to be hobbling Israel’s advance.

The Israeli army’s reaction to the Hamas attacks of October 7 has so far gone through four distinct phases.

The first, which started within hours of the incursion into the territory of Israel, was mostly aerial bombardment as revenge and preparation for next steps. The second phase saw the infantry and artillery enter the northern areas of the Gaza Strip from three directions, advancing towards Gaza City to cut it off from the remainder of the Palestinian territory.

In the third phase, Israel’s army completed the encirclement at the fringes of the city, making some limited advances, probes towards the centre. In the current, fourth phase, Israeli soldiers are making slow progress towards the centre of Gaza City, engaging in proper urban fighting.

Having accomplished the blockade of the largest city in the north, Israel has repeated the same staged approach in the centre, and fighting in Khan Younis is now also in phase four.

So far, fighting has been limited to conventional ground combat, with both sides operating as analysts had expected. The threat of tunnel warfare has not yet materialised.