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Second Indochina War from 1955 to 1975: North Vietnam’s Viet Cong had already built a massive tunnel system to literally undermine South Vietnam and its American allies. The Islamist Hamas perfected the construction of battle tunnels in Gaza. Their vast tunnel system is the backbone of the partisan war. When Israeli forces bombed a Hamas command center in Gaza’s Jabalia district on Tuesday, terror tunnels were struck, causing several buildings to collapse.
Now the tunnels threaten to become a death trap for the Islamists. The tactical advantage of storing weapons there and hiding from Israeli attacks risks being lost as Israel’s ground forces advance. The Israelis begin a brutal house-to-house war, but are unlikely to become involved in fighting in the tunnels.
Death trap for the enemy
Soldiers are not allowed to enter the tunnels “under any circumstances”. Jair Golan (61), former deputy chief of the general staff of the Israeli army (IDF), warned this on the armed forces radio. “It would be a big mistake to go into the tunnels” – and there was no need. The better tactic: “Find the entrances and seal them off” – or let smoke through, “which will let the enemy out,” the former Knesset member said.
“If Hamas stays in the tunnels, they will become a death trap,” the ex-major general is convinced. The main thing is to find the entrances. “From the moment the entrances are found, the attackers have the full advantage. As soon as we get to the tunnels, they will become a death trap for the enemy.”
“Like I was fighting ghosts”
Israeli units want to collapse the tunnel entrances and turn it into a death zone. The Hamas fighters “made a mistake,” an Israeli commander told the Walla news portal. “They have chosen to be in a place where they cannot escape. They will die in the tunnels.”
Ex-military Golan explains that tunnel warfare is a mixture of “ambushes, traps, hiding and sniping.” The underground combat system is disorienting and creates blind spots as Hamas fighters appear out of nowhere, attack and disappear into thin air again.
The terrorists climb out of the holes in the ground with their weapons, shoot at the enemy and try to quickly retreat underground. Golan recalls: “It was like fighting ghosts. You don’t see them. (kes)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
