The Israeli army claimed on Sunday to have discovered during its offensive “the largest tunnel” that Hamas has dug under the Gaza Strip. It would emerge just a few hundred meters from Israeli territory.
According to the AFP journalist who was authorized to go there, the tunnel in question is of sufficient size to allow small vehicles to circulate. The tunnel is equipped with a pipe system, electricity, ventilation, sewers, communication networks and rails. The floor is compacted earth, the walls are reinforced concrete and the entrance is a metal cylinder whose walls are 1.5 centimeters thick.
“The Gaza Metro”
The Israeli army claims to have discovered a large number of weapons there ready to be used in the event of an attack by Hamas. “Hamas has consistently and deliberately invested enormous amounts of money and resources into terrorist tunnels that have only one goal: to attack the State of Israel and its residents,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, spokesperson for the Israeli army. “This strategic network of attack tunnels… was intentionally dug near a crossing point intended to allow Gaza residents to travel to Israel to work and receive medical care,” he said. he adds.
Nicknamed “the Gaza metro” by the Israeli military, the maze of galleries was first used to circumvent the blockade imposed by Israel after Hamas took power in this territory in 2007. Hundreds of galleries were dug under the border with Egyptian Sinai to circulate people, goods, weapons and ammunition between Gaza and the outside world.
In a study published on October 17, the Institute of Modern Warfare at the American Military Academy West Point mentions 1,300 galleries over 500 kilometers.