The devastation caused by constant Israeli bombing of Gaza that flattened the area removing landmarks led to potential “mis-designation” targeting errors by ground forces, a critical paper by a leading defence think tank has said.
The very high Palestinian death count, approaching 40,000 according to the health ministry, could in part be attributed to what the Royal United Services Institute called “devastated terrain warfare” alongside misuse of AI information.
The London-based think tank’s report also highlighted the difficulties Israeli troops experienced in fighting Hamas in tunnel warfare that has proven “extremely stressful”.
Furthermore, the reserves, that form the core of the military, were deemed to be out of practice in urban fighting and operating with “outdated doctrine”.
Rusi, closely linked to the UK’s ministry of defence, wrote the paper in part to provide lessons and insight for the British army and draws some sobering conclusions.
For the depleted British military it was “in some respects more useful to consider itself in Hamas’s position,” the paper’s co-author, the respected military commentator, Dr Jack Watling, wrote in Tactical Lessons from Israel Defence Forces Operations in Gaza.
Rubble warfare
The heavy bombing of Gaza caused “rubblisation” that “degraded the ability to describe the terrain” for artillery and air strikes, said the report, which drew on multiple interviews with operational and tactical-level commanders, alongside analysts from a range of units.
As a result, the Israelis have now concluded that specific training is required for what it called “devastated terrain warfare” to allow troops to call in accurate fire.
The widespread destruction caused “a range of problems” in particular for armoured vehicles. “Tank drivers could not accurately assess the depth of craters through night vision, especially when there had been rain, and some vehicles were lost owing to rollovers when vehicles drove into shell holes.”
The “extreme degree of irregularity” in the landscape made it difficult for ground units to reference Hamas positions. “They would often defy precise verbal description, creating scope for their mis-designation.”
Tunnel stress
The 500km of Hamas tunnels under Gaza proved a unique challenge that even a high-tech army found difficult to tackle or map.
Hamas used the subterranean labyrinth to get behind surface areas that the Israelis had cleared and attack them, forcing the Israelis to adapt by fighting both on the ground and below it simultaneously but the action took its toll.
“Subterranean fighting was extremely stressful for its personnel,” the report said. “The fact that every corner could lead to an extremely close confrontation with an enemy, or the discovery of an IED, created a staccato quality to the pressure on individuals that was corrosive of morale.”
Robots and military dogs were used to clear booby-traps but the majority had to be done by humans given the number of doors, steps and obstacles.
Outdated reserves
Israel’s reserves, who make up the majority of its forces and serve for 20 years after their initial two or three years training and service, suffered criticism.
The report stated that many had not conducted substantial training for several years, meaning that they “were out of practice” and at times operated “to outdated doctrine” that led to a break down in common understanding during assaults.
Reservists also wore privately purchased body armour and other kit that caused problems with thermal imaging identification.
Also, the use of M203 grenade launchers at short range led to a number of soldiers suffering friendly fire fragmentation injuries.
Bad PR
Significant criticism was made of the military’s public relations operation which had “underperformed” and was hamstrung by a lack of Arabic speakers.
The authors highlighted one incident in which the media team “undermined its own credibility” by presenting a Hamas document claiming it was guard duty roster for hostages, but was in fact a calendar in Arabic.
The bad PR was further hampered by the use of personal mobile phones and soldiers’ tendency to film everything on the modern battlefield, including prisoners who had been stripped naked. “Poor discipline by some IDF personnel has done significant harm after being filmed and released publicly,” it said. “Uncontrolled use of mobile phones to film and release information can be highly damaging.”
Hamas resilience
While Hamas has suffered significant casualties, with an estimated 14,000 killed – about half its force – its tactics have evolved.
Initially it attempted to ambush isolated Israeli units in hit and run attacks but could not concentrate sufficient firepower to inflict casualties.
Hamas also used heavy weapons brought out from tunnels camouflaged with earth or would openly move in civilian clothing without weapons but then retrieve cached arms to ambush the soldiers. Israeli units reported that around a third of buildings in Gaza city contained arms dumps.
In larger engagements superior Israeli firepower inflicted heavy losses, with Hamas resorting instead to attacking smaller patrols.
That adjustment meant Hamas leadership retained a command and control ability throughout achieving its “strategic objective of surviving” as a military power in Gaza “thus retaining administrative control, even with a heavily depleted force”.
Both Hamas and Israeli also learnt that using high rise buildings for observation was largely ineffective as there was limited tactical value in being above the second floor as at a certain height the streets become dead ground.
It was also noted that Hamas, unlike Hezbollah, had no effective artillery allowing Israeli troops to muster in the rear with little threat of attack. “Units have been able to concentrate in a way that troops in other theatres, such as Ukraine, have found perilous,” the report said.
Battlefield technology
Drones also negated the need for elevated observation posts but for the combatants, as in Ukraine, they have proven highly effective in modern warfare.
In particular units that had “tactical strike” drones alongside guided anti-tank missiles could “monitor more urban terrain and conduct precision strikes at tempo in support of tactical actions”. A company equipped with them could hold ground that would otherwise require a battalion.
But Hamas fielded its own drones leading to Israel, at times, shooting down its own drones.
While the use of AI in targeting has been widely reported, including the “Lavender” system, the report said errors were made “not because of the software” but “often because operators are not taking sufficient time to verify automated conclusions”.
British army lessons
Ultimately the report is to be used by the British army and others to learn from the harsh urban fighting.
But given the poor state of the UK’s forces the report suggested it was better for the army “in some respects more useful to consider itself in Hamas’s position” by defending urban areas with a coastline to the rear “against a numerically superior enemy”.
While the army is meant to blunt a Russian land attack, its forces are inadequately equipped or staffed leading the authors to conclude that “while British troops may be trained to fight like the IDF, they find themselves equipped to die like Hamas”.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The%20specs
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Read more about the coronavirus
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Company%C2%A0profile
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
