Hamas has built an immense network of underground galleries, where fighters, weapons and supplies are hidden. This “city beneath the city” represents the main challenge of the Israeli ground offensive. RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS
Five in number, each of these pumps could move thousands of cubic meters of water drawn from the Mediterranean Sea per hour inside the tunnels, flooding them within weeks.
According to Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Israel has reportedly completed assembling a seawater pumping system that it could use to flood Hamas’ vast network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip, to dislodge the terror group’s fighters from their underground refuge and put them out of service. The risk, argue American officials cited by the newspaper, would be to threaten Gaza’s water supply.
The WSJ specifies that these pumps are located approximately 1.6 kilometers north of the Al-Shati refugee camp, and that they would have finished being assembled in mid-November. Five in number, each of them could move thousands of cubic meters of water drawn from the Mediterranean Sea per hour inside the tunnels, flooding them within weeks.
The article does not specify whether Israel plans to resort to this tactic before having released all the hostages remaining in Hamas hands, although according to the Palestinian group, many of them are being held in tunnels. According to the newspaper, Israel informed Washington last month of the existence of this weapon, but did not make a decision on its use.