מלוחמה הרואית ללוחמה פוסט־הרואית ובחזרה

Israel's national way of war has gradually become "post-heroic" and is very risk-averse. Unlike most research that looks at this process from the macro level, this paper presents this process through the experiences of IDF combat engineers involved in tunnel operations in the Gaza Strip. Participants in the study were interviewed and shared their experiences during operations against the subterranean threat in the Gaza Strip from 2002 to 2014. The information collected was defined as an "operation in tunnels" since we did not find any case studies of close combat in tunnels. The main themes found include: "tunnel operations experience," "Classification and self-selection of personnel","Accumulation of operational experience," and "danger and heroes." We present an analytical model of these themes that includes four types of operational organizations that served to counter the threat posed by the enemy in underground warfare. This model reflects the process of Israeli warfare transforming into post-heroic warfare, including the allocation of resources to technologically based warfare. However, we emphasize the possibility that this process can become heroic based on the operational experiences of combatants in the theater of operations. Understanding this process is important for understanding the IDF's fighting power in the event of another high-intensity conflict.