Hamas’s tunnel system in the Gaza Strip complicates the Israeli operation. According to a report, masses of water could help the army.
Washington – In large parts of the Gaza Strip Israel already penetrated in its campaign in response to the Hamas massacre on October 7th. In the meantime, the fighting has increased in the wake of the Israel war relocated to the south of the coastal strip. But Jerusalem’s armed forces also face a significant problem: the extensive tunnel system into which the fighters of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization can withdraw at any time.
Israel War: Will the Hamas tunnels be flooded with seawater?
Apparently the Israeli army is already thinking about a powerful ally when it comes to rendering the underground routes unusable. Like that Wall Street Journal reported (article behind a paywall), large pumps could be used to pump a lot of seawater into the tunnels in order to flood them. This would probably wipe out all life down there and destroy most of the equipment.
However, there is of course the danger that Hamas will also hold some of the hostages kidnapped two months ago captive in the tunnel system and use them as human shields. 137 of them are located according to the latest information from the Israeli Defense Forces still under the control of Hamas. This could also be a reason why Israel is hesitating.
Israel and the Hamas tunnels: Five pumps could flood the system
The report is based on statements from U.S. government officials who said it is not known whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will order the flooding. Neither a final decision has been made nor such a plan has been ruled out, it is said.
The system built will include at least five pumps that can take water from the Mediterranean and pump thousands of cubic meters of it into the tunnels per hour. This means that these underground paths would be flooded within a few weeks. The Israeli armed forces completed the assembly of the pumps north of the Al-Shati refugee camp in mid-November.
According to US officials, a possible obstacle could also be that the use of these seawater pumps would threaten the Gaza Strip’s water supply. The people living there already lack almost everything.
Israeli army in the Gaza Strip: Allegedly destroyed around 500 tunnels
At the beginning of November, Israel had the USA informed that the pumps were an option. This started a discussion in which the feasibility and impact on the environment were weighed against the military value of destroying the tunnel.
Since the beginning of the attack in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army claims to have located more than 800 tunnel shafts. According to military information on Sunday, around 500 of these were destroyed. Accordingly, some of the tunnels connected strategic Hamas facilities underground. This information could not initially be independently verified.
Hamas tunnel: According to military experts, there are also rocket launch pads there
The tunnel network is expected to cover tens of kilometers. Some paths would extend dozens of meters underground and would therefore be able to withstand Israeli air strikes. They are partly concrete or supplied with electricity. Some are large enough for vehicles, but on average the tunnels should measure two meters in height and one meter in width.
According to military experts, these underground corridors, which are also said to run under the Al-Shifa Hospital, also contain command, control and communication rooms, storage rooms and missile launch pads. Accordingly, the tunnel system would pose a direct danger to Israel. And Jerusalem is apparently thinking about giving the water command. (mg, with dpa)
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