Underground War: When Hamas Tunnels Challenge Israel
For many years, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, has also been playing out underground. Indeed, the tunnels dug by Hamas in the Gaza Strip have become a crucial issue in this complex conflict. As Israel considers a ground assault on Gaza in response to Hamas attacks, destroying these tunnels remains a priority for the Israeli military. Deciphering an underground war with strategic issues.
Nicknamed “the Gaza metro” by Israeli troops, these tunnels are used by Hamas for various reasons: to smuggle fighters, weapons, contraband products, but also to carry out attacks against Israeli forces. The underground network is extensive and complex, with tunnels that go as deep as 30 or 40 meters underground, providing militants with some protection against airstrikes.
Hamas’s knowledge of the tunnel network represents a definite advantage in this conflict. Indeed, the Israeli army may have a general idea of the location of certain tunnels, but the majority of them remain a mystery to the intelligence services. This lack of knowledge of the terrain makes any ground operation for Israel in the Gaza Strip more difficult. Hamas fighters know these tunnels perfectly, some are even trapped, which gives them a major tactical advantage.
However, this advantage can also turn against Hamas. When the tunnels are discovered, they can be closed to trap the people inside. In this case, the order is clear: no leniency will be granted. This underground war can therefore prove to be a real death trap for the fighters of the Islamist movement.
The tunnels dug by Hamas were a response to the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip after Hamas took power in 2007. Initially, they were used to smuggle goods and foodstuffs into the Palestinian enclave from Egypt. But they quickly became a military tool for Hamas, which developed increasingly sophisticated tunnels, with concrete infrastructure, rails and cables.
Since the 2014 war, when Hamas used these tunnels to carry out deadly attacks against Israeli forces, Israel has strengthened its security measures to counter this threat. Technologies such as robots have been developed to help assault forces neutralize these tunnels. Additionally, an underground wall belt equipped with sensors detecting any drilling activity was constructed along the borders with the Gaza Strip to prevent the formation of new tunnels..
The underground war between Israel and Hamas therefore continues to rage, with Hamas tunnels as a central issue. As long as these tunnels remain a threat to Israel’s security, the fight for their destruction will continue.