It’s been seven years since I escaped my embattled city of Gaza and came to the U.S. On Thanksgiving, my mother sent me a photo of a felled 16-ft. tree in southern Gaza, where my family has been sheltering these last weeks. Ten of my relatives are standing on asphalt, surrounding the trunk, and one … Read more
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military says it has discovered tunnels underneath the main headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City, alleging that Hamas militants used the space as an electrical supply room. The unveiling of the tunnels marked the latest chapter in Israel’s campaign against the embattled agency, … Read more
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that it has been flooding tunnels in Gaza with large volumes of water in its effort to attack the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas. The IDF says its forces along with the Israeli Ministry of Defense have been using various tools to flood the subterranean network of tunnels, which … Read more
WASHINGTON—Israel has assembled a system of large pumps it could use to flood Hamas’s vast network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with seawater, a tactic that could destroy the tunnels and drive the fighters from their underground refuge but also threaten Gaza’s water supply, U.S. officials said. The Israel Defense Forces finished assembling large … Read more
By Dan Williams ZEELIM GROUND FORCES BASE, Israel (Reuters) – After locating what they described as the entrance to a Hamas tunnel under an evacuated hospital in northern Gaza, Israeli army engineers filled the passage with exploding gel and hit the detonator. The blast engulfed the building and sent smoke spewing out of at least … Read more
JERUSALEM — As an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip looms in its most devastating war yet with Hamas, one of the greatest threats to both its troops and the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped inside the seaside enclave is buried deep underground. An extensive labyrinth of tunnels built by the Hamas militant group stretches … Read more
JERUSALEM — Israel on Saturday expanded its ground operation in Gaza with infantry and armored vehicles backed by “massive” strikes from the air and sea, including the bombing of Hamas tunnels — a key target in its campaign to crush the territory’s ruling group after its bloody incursion in Israel three weeks ago. The bombardment … Read more
STORY: This is what lies in wait for Israeli ground troops in Gaza, security sources say. A Hamas tunnel network hundreds of miles long and up to 260 feet deep, like this one filmed by Reuters back in 2014. Hamas drove a blindfold crew to a secret location and gave them a tour. One expert … Read more
Combat inside tunnels is incredibly difficult, Luttwak said, noting that it requires a specific skill set and that standard tactics and weaponry are often not suitable inside a subterranean setting. “Tunnel warfare is not for amateurs,” he said. Spencer noted that it’s difficult to execute offensive operations inside the tunnels because navigation and communication systems … Read more
The leaders of Hamas know that once the Israeli counter-offensive starts they will lose their greatest asset: the interconnected tunnels in which their missiles are assembled and taken to launch openings, ready for fire into Israeli territory. These underground networks have many uses, with everything from weapons drills hidden from overhead balloons or synthetic aperture … Read more