Israel will in “no circumstances” send troops into the Hamas tunnels, a retired general has said.
The sprawling tunnel network would be a “death trap” for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) if they enter them, said Yair Golan, former deputy chief of staff of the IDF.
Hamas started building the labyrinth underground system almost two decades ago, initially to bring goods into the besieged enclave and later for military purposes.
“The moment that we get to the tunnels, or regarding the tunnels we’ve already reached – they become a death trap for the enemy,” reserve Maj Gen Golan told Army Radio.
“The wisdom is to find the entrance and seal them, or send in smoke that will cause the enemy to come out and will harm them.”
Footage released by the IDF on Thursday morning showed troops engaged in street battles, with tanks firing in the midst of urban areas and soldiers holed up in a building responding to gunfire from across the road.
Israeli media reported IDF troops engaging an elite Hamas unit in an undisclosed location as they came under mortar and anti-tank shelling. No Israeli casualties were reported there.
