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Last Updated: December 06, 2023, 09:24 IST
An Israeli soldier enters what the Israeli military say is a cross-border attack tunnel dug from Gaza to Israel, on the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip border near Kissufim. (Image: Reuters)
Israel has said it already has destroyed hundreds of tunnel sections during the war
Israel’s army chief has confirmed that Israel is considering flooding Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza with seawater to destroy the militant group’s underground network. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the army has assembled a system of large pumps that could flood the approximately 300 miles of Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
Asked about the report, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said flooding the tunnels could be a “good idea” and that it was “one of a number of options we are considering.” Hamas is believed to have a sprawling network of tunnels it uses to move fighters, weapons and supplies throughout Gaza.
Israel has said it already has destroyed hundreds of tunnel sections during the war. It is unclear if flooding the tunnels with seawater could threaten Gaza’s already overtaxed underground freshwater aquifer or potentially damage soil with salt and hazardous materials.
Israeli military last week said that they found 800 shafts leading to Hamas’s subterranean network of tunnels and bunkers since its ground invasion into the Gaza Strip began and have destroyed more than half of them. This latest report comes as the Israeli military has expanded its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group to “every part” of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s military attacked southern Gaza’s main city in what was the fiercest fighting since it began its military campaign to eliminate Hamas five weeks ago. Backed by warplanes, Israeli forces on Tuesday reached the heart of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and also surrounded the city.
(With agency inputs)
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