Admiral Stavridis Cautions Israel on Gaza City Offensive, Citing Six-Week Fallujah Battle Parallels

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, warned Israel against the significant challenges of urban warfare in Gaza City, drawing stark comparisons to the six-week Battle of Fallujah in Iraq. His latest opinion piece, published on August 21, 2025, follows the Israeli war cabinet's controversial decision to continue ground attacks against Hamas, specifically targeting Gaza City. Stavridis, a veteran of the "forever wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq, suggests the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are "standing into danger" with this military objective.

The Israeli security cabinet's plan for Gaza City includes five objectives: rescuing hostages, establishing complete security control, demilitarizing Gaza, disarming Hamas, and creating a new civil administration. This directive, targeting a city of approximately one million Palestinians and surrounding refugee camps, has sparked significant opposition and protests within Israel, as reported by Israeli media. The vast majority of Gaza's 2.2 million population has already been displaced, facing endemic shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

Admiral Stavridis, who previously served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and had extensive experience in U.S.-Israeli defense cooperation, highlighted the daunting nature of the IDF's task. He specifically referenced Operation Phantom Fury, the November 2004 Battle of Fallujah, as a direct parallel. Fallujah, with a population of around 400,000, saw approximately 3,000 insurgents who utilized tunnel complexes, booby traps, and human shields, mirroring current estimates for Hamas cadres in Gaza.

Urban warfare presents three major difficulties, according to Stavridis. First, dense buildings create "killing zones" and allow defenders to move across rooftops for ambushes. Second, the presence of a dense civilian population means high casualties, even with IDF efforts to reduce collateral damage, as Hamas is expected to use civilians as human shields. Third, combat will occur under intense public scrutiny, with any IDF mistakes amplified globally.

The Battle of Fallujah resulted in heavy losses for U.S. Marines and Army troops, taking over six weeks to conquer. Stavridis noted that the victory proved "largely pyrrhic," profoundly impacting global opinion due to civilian deaths and energizing insurgent recruitment, which contributed to the rise of the Islamic State. He emphasized that there was no civilian authority to assist the population post-conflict.

Admiral Stavridis concluded by advising Israeli political leadership to carefully reconsider their options by revisiting the brutal lessons learned from urban battles in Iraq, particularly Fallujah. His analysis underscores the potential for a protracted conflict with severe humanitarian and geopolitical consequences, regardless of military success.