Israeli Military Considers Flooding Gaza Tunnels with Seawater
- IDF/Antara Foto.
Israel – Israeli military has assembled a large pumping system that can be used to flood the tunnels used by the Hamas militant group under the Gaza Strip. This is Tel Aviv's attempt to expel the Palestinian fighters, on Monday.
Around mid-November, the Israeli army completed the construction of at least five pumps, located about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp.
VIVA Militer: Pasukan Pertahanan Israel (IDF)
- timesofisrael.com
The pumps can deliver thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, flooding the tunnel within weeks.
It remains unclear whether Israel will consider using the pumps before all hostages are released.
Hamas, previously said they hid the captives in safe places and tunnels. When asked about the pump story, the United States official said it made sense for Israel to make the tunnels inoperable.
Tel Aviv is also exploring ways to do so. An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) official also declined to comment on the flooding plan, but said that they plan to dismantle Hamas' capabilities in various ways.
"The IDF operates to dismantle Hamas' terror capabilities in various ways, including using different military tools and technologies," he remarked.
Israel first informed the US of the option last month, and reported that officials did not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was to implementing the plan.
Israel has also not made a final decision to go ahead or cancel the plan.
