Israel discovers 'biggest Hamas tunnel' in Gaza
Big enough to drive a large vehicle through, tunnels like this are 'one of the main reasons why war is still going on'
Israeli forces claim to have discovered the "biggest Hamas tunnel" in Gaza.
Two and a half miles long and 50 metres below street level, the tunnel is wide enough to drive a large vehicle through, and is equipped with electricity, ventilation and communications systems. It ends just 400 metres from the Erez border crossing with Israel in northern Gaza, one of the key points that Hamas targeted during its deadly surprise attack on Israel on 7 October.
The tunnel will have cost millions of dollars and taken years to construct, said The Times, and was the "personal project" of Hamas's operations chief in northern Gaza, Mahmoud Sinwar, younger brother of Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yihya Sinwar.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is now preparing to demolish the tunnel, which was discovered after the invasion of Gaza, with the help of captured Hamas documents and videos, and is said to have been part of the militant group's "strategic infrastructure".
Hamas has claimed to have built more than 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza, "though it is unclear if that figure was accurate", reported CNN.
Nicknamed the "Gaza metro", the tunnels under the coastal enclave are used to "smuggle goods from Egypt, launch attacks into Israel, store rockets and ammunition caches and house Hamas command and control centers", said the news site.
The tunnels are "one of the main reasons why the war is still going on", said The Times, as the IDF, "one of the world's most advanced militaries… has been sucked into an underground battle of dimensions that are unprecedented in the history of warfare".
Of the 1,300 tunnels identified by the Modern War Institute at the US military academy West Point, the Israeli army claimed at the beginning of December to have discovered more than 800 and destroyed 500 of these.
The Guardian has reported that the army was "considering flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean" and had "conducted successful tests".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 9, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - winter is coming, deflation, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 decidedly droll cartoons about the Democratic doom
Cartoons Artists take on the art of emoting, new directions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood's 'cleverly constructed' courtroom drama is 'rock solid'
The Week Recommends Nicholas Hoult stars in 'morally complex' film about a juror on a high-profile murder case
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia and Iran 'up the ante' after meeting in Turkmenistan
The Explainer Two nations talk up their closer ties but some in Tehran believe Putin 'still owes' them
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel's wars: is an end in sight – or is this just the beginning?
Today's Big Question Lack of wider strategic vision points to 'sustained low-intensity war' on multiple fronts
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
How the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war set the stage for 2024
Both sides have been planning for the possibility of another conflict since the devastating month-long war 18 years ago
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Middle East crisis: is there really a diplomatic path forward?
Today's Big Question Recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah might have dented US influence in the conflict
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The African asylum seekers fighting for Israel in Gaza
Under the Radar 'Quid pro quo' recruitment offer condemned as unethical as Israel seeks to address shortage of soldiers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mossad's history with explosive technology
The Explainer Infamous Israeli spy agency has not claimed responsibility for Hezbollah's exploding pagers but has 'decades-long' list of remote assassinations
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Iran and Israel: is all-out war inevitable?
Talking Points Tehran has vowed revenge for assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, but Gaza ceasefire could offer way out
By The Week UK Published
-
Hamas and Hezbollah strikes: what does it mean for Israel?
Today's Big Question Iran vows revenge for death of Hamas political leader in Tehran, hours after Israeli strike kills top Hezbollah member in Beirut
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published