Israel Plans to Flood Tunnels to Force Out Hamas
According to media reports, citing U.S. officials, Israel plans to install large pumps to divert seawater into the tunnels at Hamas to force out the militants, a move that could affect the water supply for people in the Gaza Corridor and cause ecological damage, but is also one of the options for permanently destroying the tunnels at Hamas.
Reports indicate that U.S. officials have revealed that in mid-November Israel built at least five large pumps near the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, which are estimated to be capable of pumping thousands of cubic meters of seawater per hour, and would be able to submerge the network of Hamas tunnels in a matter of weeks. So far, Israel has found 800 tunnels in Gaza, and the actual size could be much larger.
According to U.S. officials, Israel presented the U.S. with a plan to flood the tunnels in early November, but it is not certain that Israel has acted on it, nor is it clear whether Israel is considering implementing the pumping program only after all the hostages have been released. Some of the hostages are still in the hands of Hammas, who has said that he will hide them in safe places and tunnels.
According to the report, after the Israeli report on the Helping Hand proposal, discussions were sparked within the Biden administration to weigh the feasibility of the proposal, the ecological impact, and the military value of destroying the Hamas tunnel system. Some officials argued that flooding the tunnels would take several weeks, enough time for Hamas to transfer bases and hostages. Diverting seawater into the tunnels could damage the underground aquifers in the Gaza region, exacerbate land contamination in Gaza, and allow hazardous materials stored in the tunnels to leach into Gaza's soil.
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