There is speculation that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which announced on the 12th (local time) that it will ‘carry out a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip within a few days’, will engage in a ‘tunnel war’ when it enters the Gaza Strip. This means that there is a high probability that the so-called ‘Gaza Metro’, a massive tunnel dug underground by Hamas for the purposes of air raid defense, weapons transport, and troop movement, will become an actual battlefield. Since there are likely to be many Hamas members hiding in the tunnels, the Israeli military must identify the entrance and exit routes of the tunnels, which are spread out like a net, while simultaneously combating Hamas’ guerrilla warfare.
According to the BBC broadcast on this day, the Gaza Metro, which began digging in 2005, has a total length of 300 miles (approximately 483 km) and is known to be more than 30 meters underground. To avoid Israeli military reconnaissance and detection, entrances are usually located on the bottom floor of buildings such as houses, mosques, and schools. An Israeli soldier who participated in the tunnel destruction operation when the Israeli army entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 told the British Financial Times (FT), “Everything you touch could be a bomb, and everyone you meet could be a terrorist.”
For the Israeli military, which has not carried out any more tunnel destruction operations since 2014, there has been a gap of nine years. According to Reuters, an official from another Palestinian armed group in the Gaza Strip said, “A ground invasion is like entering an unknown world.” An Israeli security official said, “There is a possibility that the hostages are in the tunnel,” and “It will be a long operation.”
One of Israel’s tunnel war goals is to minimize civilian casualties. According to the New York Times (NYT) on this day, Israel’s former national security adviser Yaakov Amidrol said, “The problem is how to allow civilians to go to a safe place,” and predicted, “It will take at least six months to occupy the Gaza Strip.”
On the other hand, Itamar Yar, former vice-chairman of Israel’s National Security Council, viewed the possibility of occupation of the Gaza Strip as low. Former Vice Chairman Yar told the NYT, “The ground war is a means of preventing Hamas from attacking Israel again,” and “Both Israel and Palestine will pay a high price.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.