IDF floods Gaza’s tunnels to neutralize Hamas
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed to be flooding Gaza’s tunnels in an effort to inhibit Hamas operations on January 30th, according to AFP.
Confirming media reports, the army claimed the measure is “part of a range of tools deployed” to neutralize the militant group.
According to a study by the US’ West Point military academy, a network of 1,300 tunnels traversed Gaza before the outset of the recent hostilities, covering over 500km in what the IDF has dubbed the “Gaza Metro.”
Israeli authorities vowed to destroy the network in the wake of Hamas’ October 7th attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 hostages were taken by Hamas during the attack, of which around 132 are still captive, and at least 28 dead.
The massive retaliatory air, land, and sea offensive launched by Israel has killed at least 26,751 people in Gaza to date, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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The IDF claims that many of the hostages taken by Hamas have been or continue to be held within Gaza’s vast subterranean system. In December, Israeli media reported that the military was considering flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean.
Lynn Hastings, the then UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, warned against the measures, stressing the danger that flooding the already fragile water and sewage infrastructure posed to Gaza’s besieged population.
Hastings added that there was “even a risk to buildings and roads collapsing because of the increased pressure and infiltration of sea water into Gaza.”
The IDF said on January 30th that it had taken care not to damage the area’s groundwater and that “the pumping of water was only carried out in tunnel routes and locations that were suitable, matching the method of operation to each case.”
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Gaza’s tunnels were established to bypass Israel’s devastating blockade after Hamas came to power in 2007, facilitating the smuggling of people, goods, and weaponry in and out of Egypt. Hamas extended the network after 2014’s Israel-Hamas war, using it to orchestrate surprise rocket attacks on Israel.
AFP
