2023-11-09 04:58:26
Home Arab International
November 9, 2023
The tunnels dug by Hamas under the Gaza Strip, which are described as “an entire underground city,” have become a nightmare in the face of the ground invasion carried out by the Israeli army in the Strip, forcing Israeli soldiers to fight a double war, above and below ground, which is represented by street warfare and tunnel battles. Over the past few days, Hamas has been broadcasting video clips of its fighters attacking ground forces penetrating from underground, or targeting Israeli soldiers and taking them deep into tunnels. According to press estimates, there are about 242 hostages in these tunnels. Last Monday, Israel launched what it called the “second phase” of its ground operation in Gaza, by penetrating deeper inland, exploring and identifying tunnels after isolating the area with troops and tanks, according to Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht. Amid Hamas’ denials, Tel Aviv claims that the Palestinian movement built tunnels under the Shifa Medical Complex, the gate of which was targeted by an air strike 4 days ago. It also bombed its upper floor and the building’s solar panel system, which houses hundreds of wounded, displaced, and medical personnel.
The Associated Press says that the network of tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza represents the “greatest threat” to the Israeli forces penetrating the besieged Strip, as it includes multiple tunnels for attack, smuggling, storage, and operations. She described these tunnels as a “vast maze” extending through crowded neighborhoods in Gaza City, aiming to hide Hamas members and their missile arsenal, noting that underground fighting would strip the Israelis of technological advantages, while giving an advantage to Hamas above and below ground. The writer and researcher in Israeli affairs, Nazir Majli, says that Israel has been busy, during the past ten years, in monitoring the tunnels from the Gaza Strip to the Israeli borders, and when it built the protective wall, it was reassured that it had been able to destroy this idea. It demolished these tunnels and filled them with a liquid substance that instantly swells. They were fired and filled every empty area, and out of great reassurance, they withdrew weapons from the hands of the residents of the Gaza Strip and reduced the number of watchtowers.
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