Hamas’ sinister network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip may be more than 350 miles long, or hundreds of miles longer than initial estimates, sources said this week.
The tunnels can run between 350 and 450 miles and feature a staggering 5,700 entrance shafts, senior Israeli officials told the New York Times.
The new estimates, which could not be confirmed, are more than 100 miles longer than original figures, which put the tunnel network at around 250 miles long, the outlet noted.
The vastness of the tunnels is “extraordinary” given that the longest point in Gaza only extends about 40 kilometers, the Times said.
“Hamas has used time and resources over the last 15 years to turn Gaza into a fortress,” Aaron Greenstone, a former CIA officer who has worked extensively in the Middle East, told the outlet.
Israeli soldiers secure a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used in October. 7 to attack Israel. fake images
There, about 100 miles of tunnels are located beneath Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where Israeli troops are currently focusing their most intense efforts as they search the area for Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, the unnamed officials explained. .
Hamas budgeted $1 million for tunnel doors and underground workshops in Khan Younis alone, a 2022 document shows.
Hamas tunnels have played a central role in Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began after the terrorist group massacred about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240 more on October 7.
A woman walks through a prominent tunnel in Tel Aviv that simulates a Hamas tunnel. fake images
There are believed to be around 130 hostages left in Gaza, many of whom are suspected of being held somewhere in the vast network of tunnels.
Thanks to new intelligence gathered during the campaign, the IDF can now quickly detect a single tunnel, a task that previously took them up to a year, an anonymous official told the Times.
Some of the crucial information was found on the computers of Hamas operatives who participated in digging the tunnels, as well as on a list of families who “hosted” the tunnel shafts under their homes, the source said.
The entrance to a Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza. fake images
The IDF also came up with a “triangle” system that helped them determine that they are likely to find tunnels under areas with schools, hospitals or mosques.
The military has also determined two different types of wells, including one used by operatives and another used by commanders, the Times said.
The commander’s tunnels are deeper and more comfortable and allow longer stays underground.
One soldier, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, said he oversaw the destruction of about 50 loot-filled tunnels in Beit Hanoun.
Israeli soldiers secure a tunnel earlier this month. fake images
The wells had bombs hidden in the walls and even a large explosive that was wired to be activated remotely, he added.
On January 8, Israeli soldiers took a group of journalists to see three tunnel shafts in central Gaza, including one inside a single-story farm outside Bureij and two others inside a civilian steel mill and a nearby shed.
The shaft inside the steel mill went down about 30 years and even had an elevator of sorts, the Times reported.
Israeli soldiers at the entrance to a Hamas tunnel near the Erez border. AFP via Getty Images
The tunnel was used to transport munitions molded at the steel mill, Israeli soldiers said.
A nearby cube with shells or rocket heads was modeled after a template of American-made mortar shells, they added.
Inside the shed, Hamas appeared to have stored 10 large rockets that soldiers said had a range of about 60 miles.
The logo of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, was emblazoned on a wall of the tunnel.
The third tunnel shaft beneath the farm building was hidden behind a locked door that had been ripped off its hinges, the Times said.
Despite significant progress made in just a few months, officials warned that disabling the entire tunnel network could take years, and soldiers are working to map each shaft and its traps and other risks.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn