2023 Israeli-Gazan War

[Monash]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11z2j34k4o



Finally some good news!
That said, there are already media commentators bemoaning the fact that around 50 Gazans were killed, whien the IDF moved in; under heavy fire, to liberate the hostages in two locations.
IMO, I say fuck ‘em!
Better them, than having the 4 liberated hostages join the more than the 30-40 hostages that have been reported killed while being held hostage!

Now all they have to do is repeat that process what? Thirty or forty times over to rescue all the remaining hostages (and be as successful every time.) At the rate they're going it should only take the IDF 10 years or so to rescue everyone.

[Amled]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11z2j34k4o

Four Israeli hostages freed in raid in central Gaza

Finally some good news!
That said, there are already media commentators bemoaning the fact that around 50 Gazans were killed, whien the IDF moved in; under heavy fire, to liberate the hostages in two locations.
IMO, I say fuck ‘em!
Better them, than having the 4 liberated hostages join the more than the 30-40 hostages that have been reported killed while being held hostage!

[Monash]

I was kind of wondering why the DoD didn't go with a more 'permanent' structure rather than a floating dock. Nothing fancy just a few piles with some spans bolted on and a road bed off the beach. Something good enough to hold up for a couple of years at most under steady use. The Isrealis would just blow it up once it wasn't being used by the US anyway so its not like it would become a permanent asset for the Gazans.

As I said just wandering out loud since I have zero knowledge of the practicalities, no critism intended.

[Albany Rifles]

Keep in mind, Nature, like the enemy, always gets a vote. And reminder the Allies built, towed and emplaced artificial harbors to Normandy called Mulberries in 1944. They had months to plan and build accordingly. And even though the Allies sank blockships to form a breakwater one of the piers was destroyed in a storm 2 weeks later. Their time to prepare this was days and weeks, not months. And there was no way to install a breakwater in this instance.


https://apnews.com/article/gaza-pier...9b814c36ea3526

US-built pier will be removed from Gaza coast and repaired after damage from rough seas

The U.S.-built temporary pier that has been taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas and weather, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-built temporary pier that has been taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas and weather, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Over the next two days, the pier will be pulled from the beach and sent to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, where U.S. Central Command will repair it, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. She said the fixes will take “at least over a week” and then the pier will need to be anchored back into the beach in Gaza.

“From when it was operational, it was working, and we just had sort of an unfortunate confluence of weather storms that made it inoperable for a bit,” Singh said. “Hopefully just a little over a week, we should be back up and running.”

The pier, used to carry in humanitarian aid arriving by sea, is one of the few ways that free food and other supplies are getting to Palestinians who the U.N. says are on the brink of famine amid the nearly 8-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The two main crossings in southern Gaza, Rafah from Egypt and Kerem Shalom from Israel, are either not operating or are largely inaccessible for the U.N. because of fighting nearby as Israel pushes into Rafah. The pier and two crossings from Israel in northern Gaza are where most of the incoming humanitarian aid has entered in the past three weeks.


The setback is the latest for the $320 million pier, which only began operations in the past two weeks and has already had three U.S. service members injured and had four vessels beached due to heavy seas. Two of the service members received minor injuries but the third is still in critical condition, Singh said.

Deliveries also were halted for two days last week after crowds rushed aid trucks coming from the pier and one Palestinian man was shot dead.


The pier was fully functional as late as Saturday when heavy seas unmoored four of the Army boats that were being used to ferry pallets of aid from commercial vessels to the pier. The system is anchored into the beach in Gaza and provided a long causeway for trucks to drive that aid onto the shore.

Two of the vessels got stuck on the coast of Israel. One has already been recovered and the other will be in the next 24 hours with the help of the Israeli military, Singh said. The other two boats were stranded on the beach in Gaza and were expected to be recovered in the next two days, she said.

The suspension of the pier comes after the new sea route had begun to pick up steam, with more than 1,000 metric tons of food aid delivered.

U.S. officials have repeatedly emphasized that the pier cannot provide the amount of aid that starving Gazans need and said that more checkpoints for humanitarian trucks need to be opened. At maximum capacity, the pier would bring in enough food for 500,000 of Gaza’s people, and U.S. officials have stressed the need for open land crossings for the remaining 1.8 million.

The U.S. also has planned to continue to provide airdrops of food, which likewise cannot meet all the needs.

A deepening Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it impossible for aid shipments to get through the crossing there, which is a key source for fuel and food coming into Gaza. Israel says it is bringing aid in through another border crossing, Kerem Shalom, but humanitarian organizations say Israeli military operations make it difficult for them to retrieve the aid there for distribution.

[Albany Rifles]

Not good...

[statquo]

Egyptian soldier killed in Israel border incident

An Egyptian soldier has been killed in an incident involving Egyptian and Israeli troops in the border area near Rafah.

The Egyptian and Israeli militaries are investigating what happened.

Israeli media say there was an exchange of fire, but there are few other details and no reports of Israeli casualties.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel have heightened since Israeli forces took control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing point three weeks ago as part of their offensive against Hamas.

Egypt is a strong supporter of the Palestinians and has condemned Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the killing of thousands of civilians by Israel in the war.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel 45 years ago and, although it has held, relations between the two sides have often been frosty. Deadly incidents between Egyptian and Israeli troops are rare, however.

Hours before the shooting, Egypt's foreign ministry condemned an Israeli strike on Rafah which killed at least 45 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. It accused Israel of the "targeting of defenceless civilians".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attack had killed two senior Hamas officials and that it was reviewing reports that civilians were harmed as a result of the strike and fire it ignited.

Like Israel, Egypt has maintained a blockade on its border with Gaza since Hamas came to power in 2006. Hamas is an off-shoot of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood organisation, which is banned as a terrorist group in Egypt.

Egypt has, however, kept channels open with Hamas and has been acting as a mediator in on-off indirect talks between Israel and the group to try to reach a ceasefire deal and release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

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[Gun Grape]

I cannot imagine the USMC trading supplies for a M1 while I can see the M198s. The question remains, would the USMC trade the weight for a M1? You've answered the 777 question.

One of the reasons that the Corps got rid of their M-1s.

I went on a Med Float (Landing Force 6th Fleet) mid 90s. It was the first MEU to bring tanks since the early 80s.

[Officer of Engineers]

LCACs are the only thing that can carry a M-1. Don't know about 777s but a LCAC could carry 2 M198s with prime movers

I cannot imagine the USMC trading supplies for a M1 while I can see the M198s. The question remains, would the USMC trade the weight for a M1? You've answered the 777 question.

[Gun Grape]

But you're taking the M1s and the M777s out of the equation. You're trading combat power for weight. The question is how much of this trade is legitimate?

LCACs are the only thing that can carry a M-1. Don't know about 777s but a LCAC could carry 2 M198s with prime movers

[Officer of Engineers]

No longer necessary after the LCAC and the LPD/LSD/LHAs that had well decks that could embark them.

LCACs allow us to land on 90% of the worlds shoreline. Before that LSTs and LCMs were limited to less than 10%. Needed the causeways to land supplies

But you're taking the M1s and the M777s out of the equation. You're trading combat power for weight. The question is how much of this trade is legitimate?

[Gun Grape]

That was my recollection as well...I guess the Gators divested? I have seen the Army Boat People play with them in the Chesapeake off Fort Story in the past.

No longer necessary after the LCAC and the LPD/LSD/LHAs that had well decks that could embark them.

LCACs allow us to land on 90% of the worlds shoreline. Before that LSTs and LCMs were limited to less than 10%. Needed the causeways to land supplies

[Officer of Engineers]

Neither is a signatory to the ICJ.

[Amled]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle...za-2024-05-24/
It’s a curious thing that Israel has the opportunity to serve the ball back to the Gazan’s. All they have to do is accept the ICJ judgement, with one little caveat: release of the hostages!
This is something Gaza can’t do!
Hostage bodies are already surfacing, and since they have steadily refused to provide Proof of Life of the remaining.
Its horrifically obvious as to why!

[Bigfella]

The IDF leadership has already been fairly public about how little interest they have in occupying Gaza, so I assume they are being even more frank in private. They know that chasing ghosts through dense urban areas isn't what they are best at (is any modern Western military?), but they are stuck with this mission for now.

Given the noises Gallant & Gantz have been making I suspect Netanyahu will risk not only the fall of his government but even more open IDF criticism if he tries to make the occupation anything more than very temporary.

[Gun Grape]

And cross Suez in 1973 was against a beaten Egyptian 3rd(?) Army and was done on a shoestring. Hell, it wasn't properly equipped for combined arms warfare until well in the 1980s because they ignored their artillery.

And Monash, I think you are spot on. They have converted in a mindset of being an internal security force. I am sure Camp David had a bit to do with it.

I'm not knocking the IDF. I think they are that way by design. The D does stand for Defence. Small country, small population. They push the threat out of the country and secure their space.
Never going to invade Egypt and try to take over Cairo.

They are very good at what they do. I think the politicians read to many fan blogs and put them into situations they were not designed for.
Quick raids into Gaza to hit key points then withdraw. Find another, same same. Not take over the entire Gaza strip