On October 7, 2023, four thousand terrorists from Hamas and other groups crossed into Israel and attacked over twenty sites in southern Israel. The attacks killed over 1,200 Israelis and the attackers kidnapped 240 hostages, taking them back into Gaza. The attack sparked the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In this episode of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project Podcast, John Spencer discusses his research on the October 7 attacks. Based on multiple visits to Israel and interviews with first responders, victims, and officials, he describes the details of a number of the sites targeted in the attacks, the tactics and the composition of the Hamas attacking force, and the initial responses to the attacks. He highlights many of the common characteristics of urban warfare that were on display during the attacks and how it might serve as a case study from which to extract lessons on terrorism and urban warfare.
You can find the two articles John references during the episode here:
- “‘You Cannot Unsee the Evil’: A Report on the Graphic Hamas Terror Video, From Combat Veteran John Spencer“
- “A Lesson on Human Suffering from a Kibbutz“
John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point, codirector of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project and host of the “Urban Warfare Project Podcast.” He served for 25 years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of the book “Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War” and co-author of “Understanding Urban Warfare.” Follow him on X, at @SpencerGuard.
