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South Korea must learn from the Gaza War

Published: 06 Oct. 2024, 20:29

One year has passed since the war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas — an Islamist militant group representing the Palestinian Authority — launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In the ongoing war, 1,200 Israelis soldiers and civilians were killed. According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip, 41,825 Palestinians lost their lives as of Oct. 5. Palestinian casualties are 35 time larger than Israel’s.

More than 90 percent of Palestinians in the strip took refuge and 60 percent of their buildings were destroyed by Israeli bombings. Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip goes beyond imagination, as vividly seen in its indiscriminate bombings on hospitals and schools, citing the possibility of Hamas operatives hiding there, which provoked international criticism. Nevertheless, Israel chose to expand its warfronts by launching attacks on the stronghold of Houthi rebels in Yemen and by directly battling with Hezbollah, a key proxy of Iran. Israel is even poised to start a war with Iran.

The Middle East conflict and a possible expansion of the war is an alarming development for political and economic security in the region, not to mention on humanitarian grounds. Our government must make effort to stop the war in the Mideast. But at the same time, it must not dismiss the character of future wars, as suggested by the war in the Middle East.

Israel demonstrated its ability to conduct at least three wars at the same time thanks to its advanced weapons based on cutting-edge technology and science. Israel’s Iron Dome, designed to shoot down incoming projectiles, nearly neutralized enemies’ missile attacks. Israel shows military superiority thanks to the strong shield and its powerful sword.

The amazing level of information Israel showed in the process of raiding the hideouts of Hamas and Hezbollah commanders gives important lessons to our military’s intelligence capabilities. Israeli jet fighters precisely bombed a safe house in Iran and a building with a seven-story basement. That’s impossible without the outstanding intelligence-gathering ability of the Mossad and other military information organizations. We hope our military learns from Israel.

Following the Ukraine war, the Middle East war also showed the limits to war operations without U.S. military support and information assistance. That points to the need for us to further augment our alliance with the United States to prepare for North Korea’s military provocations. Israel is different from South Korea in many respects. And yet, the country’s capability to simultaneously carry out several wars points to the direction of Korea in preparing for a possible future war.