Gaza Tunnels: The Enigma of Palestinian Resistance Against Occupation

Gaza Tunnels: The Enigma of Palestinian Resistance Against Occupation 

The New York Times has emphasized that the tunnels of Palestinian resistance are a significant reason for the Israeli military's delay in launching a ground intervention in the Gaza Strip.

The existence of an extensive network of tunnels beneath the region, including numerous passages, chambers, and even specialized routes for vehicles, has been noted. It is believed that the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, conceals its weapons, fighters, and command centers within these tunnels.

According to The New York Times, despite the Israeli military's claim of destroying 150 underground targets the previous night, the tunnel dilemma remains the most challenging aspect for forces planning any large-scale ground invasion of Gaza.

The newspaper quoted General Joseph Votel, the former head of the U.S. Central Command responsible for the Middle East, as stating that there should be no illusions about the outcomes, as "it will be a bloody and brutal fight."

Tunnels have been a part of life in Gaza for years, but their numbers surged significantly after 2007 when Hamas took control of the territory, and Israel tightened its blockade. Palestinians responded by constructing hundreds of tunnels for smuggling food, goods, people, and weapons.

The newspaper notes that Hamas invested approximately $3 million for each tunnel, as per the Israeli military. Some of these tunnels were constructed using ready-made concrete and iron, with medical rooms to aid wounded fighters, while others had chambers as deep as 130 feet underground, allowing people to hide for months.

Lower Gaza

Yuchavid Liebchitz, an 85-year-old woman released by Hamas after 17 days of captivity, described how she traversed miles through a "spidery network" of tunnels.

She mentioned that Hamas fighters guided her through damp passageways beneath the ground to a "large hall where about 25 prisoners were held."

People in Israel refer to the tunnel system as "Lower Gaza" or "the metro."

U.S. General Votel, who visited a Hezbollah tunnel on the southern Lebanese border, expressed his surprise at the effort involved in creating these structures.

He pointed out that these were not mere holes in the ground but rather intricate architectural designs, connected with rooms and built to withstand surface attacks.

Joel Rosenfeld, a geology professor at Bar Ilan University in Israel, claims that as Hamas expanded its tunnel system, it concealed entrances in homes and other small buildings on the Egyptian side of the border, where the tunnel network extends all the way to the northern limits of the Gaza Strip.

Rosenfeld estimates the number of tunnels in the hundreds, while Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, mentioned in 2021 that there were 310 miles of tunnels in Gaza.

Destruction Attempts

The New York Times report notes that Hamas manually dug or used shovels to create the tunnels to avoid detection, and the sandy terrain facilitated excavation.

Experts suggest that the tunnels through which Hamas fighters move are typically around 6.5 feet high and 3.3 feet wide. The narrow width can be a nightmare for soldiers who must navigate them single-file.

The newspaper quoted Israeli military personnel who worked on tunnel clearance in Gaza earlier, who indicated that the military generally refrains from sending people into these tunnels.

According to Colonel Amir Olu, the former commander of the elite combat engineering unit known as Yahalom, responsible for dismantling tunnels, there is "no chance" regarding "booby traps."

Olu was part of the Israeli military's efforts during the 2014 operation, which included a ground invasion lasting two weeks.

He mentioned that explosive traps, usually remote-detonated bombs, were ever-present.

In 2013, six Israeli soldiers were injured, with one blinded, by an explosion in one of the tunnels when they attempted to insert a camera into it.

Soldiers who participated in tunnel clearance work mention that entering a tunnel is the last thing they want to do. According to Olu, "with tunnels, the enemy can encircle and attack us from behind."

Military officials state that aerial bombardments and remote sensing devices can destroy the tunnels. However, to ensure the complete dismantling of the network, Israel would eventually have to send people if necessary.

According to a Rand Corporation report on the 2014 Gaza war, even after the end of Operation Protective Edge, the Israeli army faced genuine technological challenges in detecting, fighting in, and ultimately destroying the tunnels.

Land and Sea Tunnels

The New York Times points out the existence of an Israeli military unit called "Sayeret Samur," or "Son of Aris," specialized in underground warfare and regularly trains on mock tunnels in Israel.

The Israeli military regularly trains infantry on how to destroy tunnels.

The newspaper quoted a reservist soldier in the West Bank as saying that other infantry units also trained for tunnel warfare.

According to the soldier, the Israeli military employs a technique called "purple smoke" to determine the tunnel's path, where purple smoke bombs are thrown into the tunnel, and the exit of purple smoke from any house in the area signals that it is connected to the tunnel and must be sealed before soldiers descend into the tunnel. Smoke travels like threads throughout the tunnel system.

Daphne Richmond-Barak, an expert on tunnel warfare at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, notes that the most worrying aspect is the maritime tunnels, which represent a "serious future threat."

In 2018, the Israeli military destroyed a well extending meters into the sea, possibly the first of its kind to be discovered, suggesting that Hamas divers may have used the tunnel to cross into Israeli waters undetected.

After the Israeli military announced the destruction of a tunnel leading to the sea last Tuesday, a video was released showing Israeli forces firing at Hamas divers who emerged from a tunnel along the Gaza coast, near Zikim Beach.

Military officials state that airstrikes and remote sensing devices can destroy the tunnels. However, to ensure the complete dismantling of the network, Israel would eventually have to send people if necessary.

According to a Rand Corporation report on the 2014 Gaza war, even after the end of Operation Protective Edge, the Israeli army faced genuine technological challenges in detecting, fighting in, and ultimately destroying the tunnels.