EconTalk

A Military Analysis of Israel's War in Gaza (with Andrew Fox)

February 9, 2026

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  • Andrew Fox believes the widespread physical devastation in Gaza was a direct, unavoidable consequence of the IDF systematically detonating tens of thousands of IEDs and booby traps embedded in nearly every structure while conducting combined arms maneuver operations. 
  • Fox argues that Israel achieved its primary strategic war goals—securing borders and destroying Hamas's capability to repeat the October 7th attack—despite Hamas not being entirely eliminated, with long-term security now largely outsourced to the United States. 
  • The IDF's combat effectiveness is significantly enhanced by its data-driven approach to medical care, exemplified by deploying refrigerated blood packs to the front line, which has drastically reduced battlefield fatalities compared to previous conflicts. 
  • Andrew Fox was impressed by the unity of purpose and expressed compassion among the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers regarding their mission in Gaza, contrasting it sharply with his experience commanding troops in Afghanistan where mission objectives frequently changed. 
  • Fox noted that, unlike his experience in the UK military where mission clarity was lacking, the IDF soldiers possessed a clear understanding of the importance of their mission for national defense. 
  • The experience of witnessing the IDF soldiers, who had dropped their civilian lives to defend their country, was described by Fox as humbling and moving, leading him to doubt the UK's ability to replicate such unity if needed. 

Segments

Andrew Fox’s Gaza Access and Report
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(00:00:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Andrew Fox gained unique access to the IDF in Gaza through three distinct visits, including one with senior NATO officers and another observing humanitarian aid distribution.
  • Summary: Fox details his background, including service in the British Army and lecturing at Sandhurst, leading to his current role as a conflict researcher for the Henry Jackson Society. His access included a high-level military group briefing for the ICC and being the first neutral observer to film a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution. His report, ‘Tactical Lessons from Gaza,’ relies heavily on cross-referenced accounts from soldiers rather than senior command.
Journalist Access and Information War
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(00:08:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Israel’s restriction of journalists was likely due to credible threats of intimidation by Hamas/Hezbollah and the risk of pinning blame on the IDF for any resulting harm.
  • Summary: Fox acknowledges the difficulty in reporting due to the contested information space, noting that perfection is often unrealistically expected of the IDF. He cites credible third-party reports of Hamas intimidating journalists in 2014 and personal accounts of Hezbollah threatening correspondents covering a tunnel visit. Furthermore, the 720-degree threat environment in Gaza makes ensuring journalist safety exceptionally challenging for combat units.
Infrastructure Destruction Rationale
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(00:14:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The extensive physical destruction in Gaza is attributed to the necessity of detonating an estimated tens of thousands of IEDs, which were too densely packed for standard clearance procedures during combined arms maneuvers.
  • Summary: Fox notes that soldiers consistently report finding tunnels or weapons in nearly every house entered. The density of IEDs—estimated at one every half football pitch across the surface area—necessitated immediate detonation, which inherently destroyed the surrounding buildings. This tactical reality, driven by Hamas’s adaptive use of IEDs, explains the resulting urban landscape.
Strategic Goals and Post-War Outlook
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(00:24:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Israel succeeded in its core strategic goals of removing the immediate threat of a repeat October 7th attack and heavily degrading Hamas’s capabilities, though the final goal of complete destruction remains incomplete.
  • Summary: Fox frames success not as victory/defeat but as the achievement of strategic goals: securing borders, returning hostages, and destroying Hamas. The strategic threat is removed as Hamas lacks the capacity for another major assault, though they persist in a degraded state. Long-term governance and disarmament remain undecided, with the US currently managing the post-conflict violence levels.
Starvation and Sniper Allegations
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(00:30:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The allegation of starvation as a weapon is refuted by data showing sufficient food supply entered Gaza, indicating the issue was distribution failure, potentially exacerbated by Hamas hoarding high-value aid like baby food.
  • Summary: Fox denies that Gazans appeared starving in the areas he visited, noting that average daily caloric intake entering Gaza exceeded requirements, pointing to internal distribution failures. He criticizes Israel’s unnecessary and reputationally damaging decision to halt aid in May, which he views as a strategic mistake. Furthermore, he dismisses sniper targeting of children as policy, noting Hamas’s own hospital data showed airstrikes, not gunshots, as the primary cause of injury.
Cultural Differences and Citizen Army
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(01:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The IDF’s citizen army structure fosters a flatter command structure and exceptional empowerment of junior personnel (mission command), contrasting with the more rigid discipline found in Western armies.
  • Summary: The reliance on reserves creates quality variance between professional and reserve units, and the culture allows for poor optics like soldiers filming inappropriate videos, which are hard to discipline. However, this structure empowers junior, highly educated soldiers to make decisions on the ground effectively, a concept Fox terms ‘mission command’ or ‘Alfred Taktik.’ This cultural approach, while sometimes undisciplined, ultimately proves effective in achieving operational goals.
Lessons from IDF Battlefield Medicine
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(00:52:58)
  • Key Takeaway: The IDF has made remarkable, data-driven medical advancements, including deploying refrigerated blood packs to the front line, which saved hundreds of lives compared to previous standards.
  • Summary: The IDF analyzed casualty data to determine that blood loss on the battlefield is the primary cause of death, leading to the deployment of blood packs to forward units, a practice rare outside of special forces. Doctors were moved from hospitals to the battlefield where they are most needed, and future plans involve AI-assisted triage and synthetic blood research. This data-driven approach is a significant technological innovation in battlefield care.
IDF Soldier Unity and Compassion
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: IDF soldiers demonstrated profound unity of purpose and expressed unprompted compassion for Gazan civilians despite the difficult nature of their mission.
  • Summary: Every soldier understood the necessity of the mission for their country’s defense, even though none desired to be in Gaza following the October 7th attacks. Unprompted by the interviewer, soldiers conveyed regret for the civilian impact while simultaneously justifying the necessity of the actions. This contrasts with the speaker’s experience commanding troops in other conflicts where mission clarity was often absent.
Contrast with Afghanistan Deployment
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(01:06:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The clarity of the IDF’s mission objectives stood in stark contrast to the constantly shifting rationales provided for the UK’s military presence in Afghanistan.
  • Summary: The speaker found it difficult as a commander to explain the purpose of the Afghanistan deployment because objectives changed frequently, moving from anti-narcotics to supporting the government to protecting the people. The IDF, conversely, maintained a consistent and understood strategic goal among its personnel. This difference highlighted the strong sense of duty among the soldiers observed in Gaza.
Humble Observation and Conclusion
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(01:07:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Witnessing citizens from all backgrounds set aside their lives to defend their country was a humbling experience that the speaker doubts could be replicated in the UK.
  • Summary: The sight of people from all walks of life dropping their daily routines to defend their nation was deemed highly commendable and moving by the guest. This observation led to a sobering reflection on the potential for similar national defense unity in the UK, a possibility the speaker is not convinced of. The experience left a lasting impact on Andrew Fox.
Podcast Outro and Credits
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(01:07:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode concludes with acknowledgments for the guest, Andrew Fox, and standard production credits for EconTalk.
  • Summary: The host, Russ Roberts, thanks Andrew Fox for his participation in EconTalk. Listeners are directed to econtalk.org for comments, links, and readings related to the conversation. Rich Coyette is credited as the sound engineer for the program.