It has been reported that the Israeli military is considering pouring seawater into the Gaza Strip’s underground tunnels, which are tangled like a spider’s web.
This is an operation to drive out members of the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas who are hiding underground into the sea.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 4th (local time), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) installed a large seawater pump to draw seawater about 1.6km away from the Al Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip in the middle of last month.
At least five pumps have been installed, which are said to be capable of drawing thousands of cubic meters of Mediterranean seawater per hour and submerging Hamas’ underground tunnels.
Hamas has built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in the Gaza Strip and is using them as a base of operations. It has been reported that the Israeli military has discovered about 800 tunnel entrances since October 27, when ground operations began.
Israel notified the U.S. of its plan to flood the tunnel early last month, sparking discussions among officials about the military value, environmental impact, and feasibility of the plan, U.S. officials said.
Proponents reportedly noted that this method is one of the few ways to permanently destroy Hamas hideouts. If the tunnel is flooded, Hamas members will have no choice but to come to the surface, and major military means will be destroyed.
However, an official familiar with the plan said, “No one knows the details of the tunnel and surrounding ground. “I don’t know how the water will flow in a tunnel that no one has ever been to, so I don’t know if the method will be effective,” he said, showing a reserved attitude.
In addition, this plan raises concerns about the possibility that seawater seeping into the soil will affect water quality, make it difficult to grow crops, or worsen drinking water shortages.
However, U.S. officials told the WSJ, “We do not know how close the plan is to realization,” and “Israel has not made a final decision to implement the plan or ruled it out.”
Park Tae-geun,
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.