Fighters from Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, squat in a tunnel used to ferry rockets and mortars back. onwards Photo: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
Hamas has spent two decades building a labyrinth of deep defensive tunnels to counter any Israeli ground attack, experts say.
Extensive network Some are believed to In places it lies up to 100 feet (30 m) below the surface and forms the centerpiece of defenses that the terrorist group has spent years preparing.
Tunnel entrances are hidden on the lower floors of houses, mosques and schools, and the area's narrow streets and alleys are expected to be lined with booby traps and homemade bombs in preparation for any Israeli attack.
Hamas preparations would mean that any ground attack on northern Gaza would be fraught with danger and would likely result in heavy casualties on both sides, as well as the remaining civilians.
Difficulties in breaking through the defenses will be compounded by the possible use of human shields from the local population and even dozens of Israeli hostages taken over the weekend.
Israeli officials also say the group is building a military force. bases near residential buildings, and have also in the past hidden weapons in homes or even in schools and medical facilities.
Dr. Daphne Richmond-Barak, an expert on underground warfare at Reichman University in Israel, says the tunnels under Gaza are deeper and more complex than the cross-border crossings used to enter Israeli territory.
She told the BBC: “The tunnels inside the Gaza Strip are different because Hamas uses them regularly. They are probably more comfortable to stay in for longer periods of time. They are definitely prepared for a longer and more sustainable presence. Leaders hide there, they have control centers, they use them for transport and communications. They are equipped with electricity, lighting and railway tracks. You can move around and stand more.»
Israel said it had already begun attacking the vast network as part of its bombing campaign in response to Saturday's unprecedented incursion.
“Think of the Gaza Strip as one layer for the civilian population and then another layer for Hamas: we're trying to get to that second layer that Hamas built,” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said at a briefing Thursday. “These are not bunkers for Gazan civilians. This is only for Hamas and other terrorists so that they can continue to fire rockets at Israel, plan operations and send terrorists into Israel.»
Hamas began building tunnels in the Gaza Strip before Israel withdrew its troops from the area nearly two decades ago, but stepped up construction after Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade of the area in 2007.
< p>Following the latest flare-up of fighting between Israel and Hamas in 2021, the IDF said it had destroyed more than 60 miles of tunnels. However, Hamas then claimed that only five percent were damaged, as it boasted that its underground infrastructure was at least 300 miles long, making it longer than the London Underground.
However, the network is closed to civilians , and there are no underground shelters for Gazans, who have been living under constant airstrikes since Saturday.
Even if Israeli forces are able to clear the area, they will then have to decide whether to leave or occupy the area, which could accommodate a large number of troops.
Sir Tom Beckett, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies — Middle East, said: «If the IDF tries to create a garrison large enough to control the Gaza Strip while continuing to protect the country from threats, coming from the West Bank, southern Lebanon and Syria, its capabilities will soon be stretched to the limit.”
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