Inside Hamas’ secret underground tunnels where militants plan attacks against Israel

As plans an armed army invasion into the Gaza Strip to battle Hamas militants, they face a giant downside.

Not like a traditional enemy, Hamas works in a posh community of bolstered underground tunnels, constructed by Islamist organizations and financed and provided by Iran.

Because of this can bomb Gaza all it likes, however they might probably have to deploy lots of of 1000’s of troops with the intention to wipe the group out.

The Protection Forces (IDF) have lengthy been making an attempt to destroy the massive community of tunnels – known as the ‘Gaza Metro’ – since they have been established after Hamas took management of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Yaakov Amidror, the previous head of ’s Nationwide Safety Council, mentioned to CNBC {that a} floor offensive was wanted to defeat Hamas: “Now we have to destroy Hamas on the bottom to seek out Hamas members inside the underground tunnels, within the holes, of their headquarters.”

When requested if the bottom operation would come at a value to Palestinians within the territory, Amidror mentioned that Israeli forces would give them the time and skill to maneuver away from a possible battlefield.

The tunnels run underground all through Gaza and into Israeli territory, lengthy serving as a launch level for a lot of of Hamas’ assaults.

Throughout the 2014 conflict with , Hamas used the tunnels to maneuver weapons, enter the Jewish state, ambush IDF troopers, and return to Gaza.

However it’s thought that Hamas has expanded the tunnel community in preparation for his or her October 7 assaults.

By 2013, the community had considerably shifted in the direction of concentrating on , and there have been at the least three tunnels below the -Gaza border – two of which have been full of explosives.

Now, the underground tunnels cowl dozens of miles by the Gaza Strip, reaching the cities of Khan Younis, Jabalia, and the Shati refugee camp. Additionally they stretch into .

Hamas and different Islamist teams in Gaza – together with the Islamic Jihad motion in Palestine – use the tunnels, saying they’re wanted for protection and to get round ’s strict border controls.

The tunnels are believed to have value between $30 million and $90 million, bolstered with concrete to guard them from airstrikes.

Hamas first used the tunnels to launch an assault on in July 2014, when fighters used the community to floor close to a kibbutz.

On the time, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya mentioned the tunnels represented “a brand new technique in confronting the occupation and within the battle with the enemy from underground and from above the bottom.”

Observe our social media accounts right here on and