(Dan Tri) – Israel seems to be considering tactics to deal with the complex and dense `maze` underground bunker system of Hamas forces.
Israeli soldiers discovered a Hamas bunker in the Gaza border area (Photo: Reuters).
In an article on Substack, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said: `A source from the US government said that the Israeli leadership appears to be considering flooding most of Hamas’s underground bunker system before sending
`Many Israeli soldiers only have a few weeks to train in skills and coordination for a ground campaign,` the journalist said, emphasizing that Israel is planning to send troops into the Gaza Strip.
However, according to Hersh, flooding the tunnel could pose a risk to the more than 200 hostages that Hamas captured in the October 7 attack.
Ms. Yocheved Lifschitz, a hostage recently released by Hamas on October 23, revealed that Hamas maintains a complex and huge underground tunnel system like a `spider web` under Gaza.
`The location of more than 200 hostages is still an open question. Israel is only talking about eliminating Hamas and Hamas has only released 4 hostages so far. US officials told me that Israel expects Hamas to continue releasing people
On October 24, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the country’s army was forced to delay the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip due to concerns about potential `death traps`.
He said the Israeli army is taking time to prepare soldiers with the necessary skills to deal with this special situation.
On October 7, Palestinian Hamas launched surprise attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The escalation of the conflict resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians, approximately 5,000 Palestinians, and thousands of injuries.
Over the years, Hamas forces have built a tunnel network as dense as an underground city in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas military uses these tunnels as weapons warehouses, bunkers, command centers, and a lifeline for the transportation of clandestine weapons, including rocket launchers.
Most tunnels are 1m wide and about 2.5m high, ensuring an adult man can easily walk through them.
The tunnel system is so dense and wide that Israeli forces call them a subway system, allowing Hamas forces to connect with each other and move safely without being detected.
The Israeli military has estimated that Hamas spent about $30-90 million, and poured 600,000 tons of concrete, to build more than 30 tunnels.
Some experts believe that Hamas’s tunnel system in Gaza can sow fear and confusion among opponents.
