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In the first weeks of the war, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip mainly from the air. But now a ground offensive is underway. Their goal: destroy Hamas. This includes their underground tunnel system, which is hundreds of kilometers long.
Hamas fighters can use the spider-like network to navigate the Gaza Strip unnoticed. The tunnels also connect them to Egypt, through which Hamas smuggles weapons and commercial goods, according to media reports. Another use of the tunnels is for the storage of weapons, military facilities and food supplies.
However, the most relevant tunnels for Israel are the so-called “terror tunnels”. They led all the way to Israel and smuggled scores of Hamas fighters across the border on October 7. According to Jonathan Conricus, spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the tunnels are “only intended for Hamas and other terrorists to fire rockets into Israel, plan operations and infiltrate terrorists into Israel.”
“Prolonged planned stay of the enemy in the tunnels”
The IDF believes that major military facilities and most tunnels are located beneath Gaza City. This is where ground operations are currently most intensive. “Combat engineers are working to expose and destroy Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including tunnels,” the IDF said on Wednesday via X. It said more than 130 tunnel entrances have been destroyed since the start of the war.
Among other things, a tunnel shaft near a school of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was destroyed. Tunnel shafts are also said to have been found in the Jabalia refugee district bombed by Israel. According to the IDF, one of them was located next to a kindergarten. In the Beit Hanon area, a suspected tunnel entrance next to a school was also bombed from the air.
Military video shows soldiers digging out the tunnel entrances. Additionally, one of the IDF soldiers shows off discovered batteries. “These are car batteries that the enemy uses to connect air filters to the underground infrastructure,” he explains. According to the IDF, the connection with water and oxygen indicates a “longer planned stay of the enemy in the tunnels.”
The ground offensive is a dangerous undertaking for Israel. Because: Hamas knows better how the tunnels run. There are also numerous weapons and grenades stored in the tunnels that Hamas fighters can use against IDF soldiers. Israel could therefore rely on a combination of ground and air strikes.
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.
