Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officially confirmed on January 30 that it has been flooding some tunnels in the Gaza Strip with seawater.
Several military units and officials at the Israeli Defense Ministry jointly developed “a number of tools for injecting high-flow water into Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement, adding that it is “part of the variety of tools the IDF has for dealing with tunnels.”
It also said that not all tunnels were flooded, noting that the process includes attaching pumps and pipes to the “suitable tunnel shafts for the task.”
The IDF added that before flooding tunnels, it carries out “professional and comprehensive” preemptive checks, including an analysis of the soil and water system in the area, to ensure groundwater is not contaminated.
The flooding of the tunnels is just one method of neutralizing Hamas’s underground capabilities, the IDF said, adding that other methods include “aerial attacks, underground maneuvers, and special operations with technological means.”
A vast network of tunnels used for smuggling and warfare purposes exists under Gaza. The underground tunnel network allows Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions to store and shield weapons, gather and move underground, communicate, train, launch offensive attacks, transport hostages and retreat without being detected by the IDF. This network of tunnels is colloquially referred to as the Gaza metro.
In December, The Wall Street Journal reported that the IDF had started pumping seawater into Hamas’s underground tunnel system. The report shed light on many concerns related to the method, including potential damage to Gaza’s aquifer and soil, if seawater and hazardous substances in the tunnels seeped into them.
Still, the IDF went on with the plan and The Times of Israel reported later in the month that a successful trail was carried out.
The methods used by the IDF to destroy Gaza metro were not that effective. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli and American officials believe that as much as 80 percent of the tunnel system may be intact.
