Thousands of people are once again on the run in the south of the Gaza Strip: intensive fighting continues in Khan Yunis. Israel suspects there are extensive Hamas tunnels beneath the city. But their destruction is apparently making little progress.
Fighting continues unabated in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, there is again “intense fighting,” especially in the area of the city of Khan Yunis. A statement said, among other things: “The troops have eliminated terrorists and found large quantities of weapons.” Israel suspects that the leadership of the terrorist organization Hamas is in the tunnel network under Khan Yunis.
In view of the massive attacks, thousands of civilians fled the Khan Yunis area towards Rafah on the border with Egypt. An Israeli military spokesman issued another call to flee in Arabic. It urged residents of four neighborhoods in Khan Yunis to move to a designated region on the Mediterranean.
The military spokesman also named three four-hour time slots on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Tactical breaks in combat during this time were intended to allow people in Rafah to stock up on provisions. Aid organizations repeatedly warn of famine in the blocked area.
Up to 80 percent of Hamas tunnels are said to still be intact
The Israeli army also said troops had “discovered and destroyed a terror tunnel in the north of the Gaza Strip, eliminated terrorists and found weapons in the area.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, three months after the start of the Israeli ground offensive, up to 80 percent of the underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip are probably still intact. The tunnel network is estimated to be more than 480 kilometers long – about half the length of the New York subway.
According to the newspaper, representatives from Israel and the USA assumed that only 20 to 40 percent of the tunnels were damaged or no longer functional. Israel used various methods in the operations against the tunnel system, which serves as a hiding place and fighting base for Hamas, the newspaper wrote. These included air strikes, liquid explosives and flooding with sea water.
Flooding the tunnels “not as effective”
This month, water from Israel was also used in the Khan Yunis area. However, in some cases underground walls or other barriers would have stopped the flow of water. Overall, the method was “not as effective as Israeli representatives had hoped.” Critics had warned of dangerous environmental damage from the flooding.
More than 130 hostages who are still being held in the Gaza Strip are also believed to be in the tunnels. Hamas’s military wing warned the families of those abducted that they would have to prepare for the death of their loved ones in bombardments if the war continued.