Israeli troops facing guerilla warfare, hostages ‘laden with traps’ in Gaza’s 300-mile tunnel system
Israel’s impending ground invasion of Gaza will have to breach a 300-mile system of underground tunnels operated by terrorist group Hamas, experts warn.
The 300,000 troops poised to enter the rogue territory will face booby-traps and guerilla warfare in the elaborate series of passageways, which serve as one of Hamas’ most dangerous advantages in the war, Colin P. Clarke, a conflict and terrorism specialist at the Soufan Group, told iNews.
“Any time you are dealing with a subterranean network of tunnels, it becomes extremely complex,” the expert warned. “Hamas will have been preparing for an Israel Defense Forces [IDF] ground assault and know these tunnels inside out.
“Some of them are likely to be booby-trapped,” Clarke added. “Preparing to fight in such terrain is incredibly difficult and would require extensive intelligence on what the network of tunnels looks like — which the Israelis may not have.”
Israel had destroyed more than 62 miles of the tunnels in 2021, but Hamas has repeatedly invested in the tunnel system, allegedly diverting millions of dollars away from aid meant for Palestine to do so.
The tunnel system has previously been used to mount attacks on the Jewish state and it has myriad entrances and exits in schools and civilian buildings, areas which may serve as blindspots for Israel.
Parts of the tunnel can also run as deep as 130 feet, allowing members of the terrorist group to find quick refuge from airstrikes.
Bruce Hoffman, an expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, echoed the dangers the tunnels pose, noting they are already the likely location of the more than 100 hostages Hamas has caputed.
“These places and perhaps even the hostages themselves will likely be laden with traps,” Hoffman warned in a grave briefing Monday. “This is a challenge of a magnitude that has never been faced before.”
Clarke noted Israel should be able to mitigate some of the risks by sending in drones and unmanned vehicles into the tunnels to set off traps and map them, but the effectiveness of these methods remains unknown.
Alexander Grinberg, of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said while the tunnels are ideal for Hamas to engage in guerilla warfare, they could also be used against them.
“When tunnels are found, they can be closed off to shut in the people inside,” Grinberg told France24, making it easy for the IDF to take out trapped enemy units.
The vast tunnels running underneath Gaza were not originally used for acts of terror. There existence was first reported in 2006 when they were used as a means to bypass an Israeli blockade put into place when Hamas came to power and smuggle in food and necessities for the two million Palestinians living in the territory.
However, Hamas soon took control of the tunnels for their own military purposes and have steadily been expanding them through the years.
Hamas leaders have described the tunnels as an “innovation,” but insisted they are mostly for defensive purposes, the Washington Post reported.
The IDF has previously taken journalists on tours of tunnels it has captured, showing them to be sophisticated structures with concrete walls, electricity and carts, according to the newspaper.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously warned the tunnels would be used to house kidnapped Israeli civilians, a fear which was ultimately realized following Saturday’s massacre of more than 1,000 people in the Jewish state.
Netanyahu has now said his nation has no choice but to invade Gaza, a large-scale military action not seen since 2014.
Alongside Hoffman weighing in on the military tactics of the war he issued a stark warning about the loss of civilian life.
“How this crisis will end is anyone’s guess, but the shedding of more innocent blood — Israeli, Palestinians, and indeed non-combatant citizens of other countries — is certain,” he wrote.