Pumps introduce seawater
Israel’s military is to test flooding the Hamas tunnels
December 13, 2023, 7:16 a.m
According to US media, the Israeli military is exploring a controversial option in the fight against Hamas: In initial tests, the army is checking whether the terrorists’ tunnels can be made unusable using sea water. But Hamas is still hiding hostages in the corridors.
According to US media reports, the Israeli armed forces are testing the flooding of the Islamist Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Seawater is being pumped into some tunnels to find out whether the method is suitable for widespread destruction of the underground system, US television channel CNN reported, citing a US official familiar with the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the test run. Israel told the US that only tunnels where no hostages were suspected would be flooded. The US National Security Council and the Israeli armed forces did not initially comment on the reports when asked.
At a press conference on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was asked about the floods. He replied: “It is very difficult as far as the flooding of the tunnels is concerned: it is said that there are definitely no hostages in these tunnels. But I don’t know that for sure.” Then he added: “What I know for sure: every death of civilians is an absolute tragedy.”
Gaza’s water supply at risk
Just over a week ago, Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi described the idea of flooding the extensive tunnel system with seawater as a good idea. At that time, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had assembled a system of large pumps to introduce seawater into the tunnels. However, the military initially hesitated out of concern for the hostages hidden in the tunnels. Each of the at least five pumps could draw water from the Mediterranean and pump thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into the tunnels, flooding them within weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This action would threaten Gaza’s water supply. Israel first informed the United States of the option in early November, sparking a discussion that weighed the feasibility and environmental impact against the military value of eliminating the tunnels, the report said.
According to the Israeli military, Hamas has built an extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip. It is estimated to be around 500 kilometers long. According to the Israeli military, more than 800 tunnel shafts have been found since the start of the war. However, the Israeli army assumes that many of the 135 hostages kidnapped from Israel are also being held in the tunnels.