Casualty figures indicate that the Givati Brigade spearheaded a strategy that saved lives and contributed to victory in the northern Gaza Strip – by integrating heavy engineering equipment companies into combat formations and systematically demolishing streets and built-up areas before troops advanced in.
After a year of fighting and repeated raids, the IDF launched an operation in the northern Gaza Strip on October 6, 2024, partially implementing the principles of the “Generals’ Plan” to clear the area.
Unlike previous raids, where terrorists either retreated or took shelter in tunnels before reemerging once the IDF withdrew, this operation effectively encircled the enemy, ensuring their destruction after civilians had evacuated. In response, the terrorists focused on inflicting maximum casualties on IDF forces.
An investigation by HaKol HaYehudi revealed that, by a significant margin, the Givati Brigade combat team sustained the fewest casualties compared to other brigades.
For years, the IDF has operated in dense urban environments where terrorists in Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, and Gaza have exploited the army’s moral constraints to either evade capture or ambush soldiers. This traditional approach to combat led to repeated incidents where terrorists reoccupied buildings after troops had passed through, launching attacks from behind while soldiers were preoccupied with defense.
What changed in the fighting in Gaza—refined primarily by the Givati Brigade—was a fundamental shift in perception. Instead of advancing through enemy-held structures and risking ambushes, forces prioritized creating sterile zones by systematically and methodically demolishing enemy buildings. This approach not only neutralized threats in advance but also ensured that terrorists had no fortified positions from which to regroup and strike.
תמונת מצב מהלחימה ברצועה – ועדכון על אילוצי גבעתי:
1. התכניות שאושרו הסופ”ש ומומשו הלילה: מתקפה אוגדתית של 98 על העיירה חאמאד, ע”ש הנסיך הקטארי, זו עם בנייני הרכבת המכוערים-כתומים מצפון מערב לחאן-יונס
2. את הפעולה מבצעים חטיבות גבעתי ו-7 עם אגוז מהקומנדו. הם מכתרים העיירה לפני… pic.twitter.com/sXv9cOEYc8— יואב זיתון (@yoavzitun) March 3, 2024
The key factor that transformed the fighting in the Gaza Strip—further refined by the Givati Brigade—was a shift in perception, emphasizing the systematic and deliberate destruction of enemy structures to maximize the creation of sterile zones.
During the fighting, the Givati Brigade refined and enhanced its engineering capabilities, transforming them into a core component of its combat operations. This was achieved through significant investment in engineering units centered around the powerful Caterpillar D9 bulldozers—by allocating greater resources, manpower, and problem-solving efforts, alongside intensive learning and adaptation.
Additionally, specialized engineering teams executed large-scale demolitions as a preparatory measure before troop advances, disorienting terrorists, inflicting heavy losses, and disrupting their ability to hold the battlefield. What had previously been an auxiliary force for route clearance and evacuation evolved into a central pillar of the brigade’s combat strategy.
Rather than advancing house by house and exposing themselves with each step—continuing the traditional street-by-street method used by the IDF until then—Givati forces adopted a new approach developed during the fighting. They first established secure positions outside the built-up area and, from there, systematically demolished streets before troops moved in.
Ahead of the soldiers’ entry, anti-aircraft and sabotage units cleared the designated area, neutralizing threats such as terrorists, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and sniper positions concealed within structures. The guiding principle was simple: the more open and sterile the area, the faster and safer the advance.
This method significantly changed the battlefield dynamics. By eliminating potential threats before entering, forces primarily had to focus on the front, with minimal concern for flanks and the rear. The logic became self-evident—destroying the next house ensured it could not be used against the troops, dramatically reducing the terrorists’ ability to inflict harm.
Heavy machinery played a pivotal role, systematically leveling buildings, securing the battlefield, and depriving terrorists of hiding places and defensive positions. With their infrastructure systematically dismantled, they had nowhere to retreat.
The clearest proof of the effectiveness of the Givati method is in the following chart of the number of fallen and wounded in five different brigades:
460th Brigade, 20 days of fighting, 6 fallen
Nahal Brigade, 23 days of fighting, 13 fallen, 18 wounded
Kfir Brigade, 64 days of fighting, 13 fallen, 6 wounded
401st Brigade, 105 days of fighting, 14 fallen, 8 wounded.
Givati Brigade, 92 days of fighting, 4 fallen, 6 wounded.
Did the method of advancing only after demolition slow down progress? On the contrary—Givati’s infantry, operating alongside heavy machinery, advanced significantly faster than special units tasked with clearing houses one by one, a process that is far more time-consuming.
To successfully implement this method across the IDF, a mindset shift is also necessary. The hope is that the new Chief of Staff and the new Southern Command Commander will embrace this understanding and integrate it into broader military strategy.
