John Spencer, a leading urban warfare expert at the West Point Insтιтute for Modern Warfare, considers Israel’s war in Gaza an “extremely just” war based on its defensive context, the brutality of the October 7 attack, and Israel’s efforts to adhere to international law in a complex urban environment, including warning civilians.

John Spencer’s key arguments:

The nature of the war: This was a forced defensive war aimed at eliminating the existential threat from Hamas.

Hamas’s tactics: Spencer emphasizes Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields and its transformation of civilian infrastructure into battlegrounds, complicating efforts to minimize casualties.

The comparison: Spencer argues that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) took greater precautionary measures than in other urban wars in history, despite reports of high civilian casualties.

Context: He argues that criticisms leveled against Israel often lack expertise in the realities of urban warfare.

John Spencer is a former U.S. Army officer with 25 years of experience and currently serves as the chairman of urban warfare research at the Modern War Insтιтute.