Hamas’s network of sinister tunnels under the Gaza Strip may be more than 350 miles long – or hundreds of miles more than initial estimates, sources said this week.
The tunnel may run anywhere from 350 to 450 miles, and has a staggering 5,700 entrance shafts, senior Israeli officials told The New York Times.
The new estimate – which could not be confirmed – is more than 100 miles longer than the original number, which put the tunnel network at around 250 miles long, the outlet said.
The tunnel’s breadth is “extraordinary” given that Gaza’s longest point only stretches about 25 miles, the Times said.
“Hamas has used time and resources over the past 15 years to turn Gaza into a fortress,” Aaron Greenstone, a former CIA officer who has worked extensively in the Middle East, told the media.
Israeli soldiers secure a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used on Oc. 7 to attack Israel. Getty Images
There are about 100 miles of tunnels lying beneath Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where Israeli forces are now focusing their most intensive efforts as they scour the area for Hamas military chief Yahya Sinwar, the unnamed official explained.
Hamas spent $1 million on tunnel doors and underground workshops in Khan Younis alone, a 2022 document shows.
Hamas tunnels have played a key role in Israel’s ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began after the terrorist group killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped around 240 more on Oct. 7.
A woman walks through a tunnel featured in Tel Aviv that resembles a Hamas tunnel. Getty Images
There are believed to be around 130 hostages left in Gaza – most of whom are suspected to be held somewhere in the vast network of tunnels.
Thanks to new intelligence gathered during the campaign, the IDF can now locate a tunnel quickly – a task that took them up to a year before, an anonymous official told the Times.
Some important information was found on the computers of Hamas operatives involved in digging the tunnels, as well as a list of families who “hosted” tunnel shafts under their homes, insiders said.
The entrance to the Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza. Getty Images
The IDF has also achieved a “triangle” system that helps them determine that they may find tunnels under areas with schools, hospitals or mosques.
The military has also specified two different types of shafts, including one used by operatives and one used by commanders, the Times said.
The commander’s tunnel is deeper and more comfortable, and allows to stay longer underground.
One soldier, speaking to the Times on condition of anonymity, said he oversaw the destruction of about 50 trapped tunnels in Beit Hanoun.
Israeli forces secured the tunnel earlier this month. Getty Images
The shaft had bombs hidden in the walls and also large explosives that were hard-wired to be activated remotely, he added.
On January 8, the Israeli army took a group of journalists to see three tunnel shafts in central Gaza – including one in a one-story farm building on the outskirts of Bureij and two others in a nearby civilian steelworks and shed.
The shaft in the steelwork is down about 30 years and also has some sort of elevator, the Times reported.
Israeli soldiers stand at the entrance to the Hamas tunnel near the Erez border. AFP via Getty Images
The tunnel was used to transport munitions formed in steelworks, Israeli soldiers said.
The bullet bucket or nearby rocket warhead was modeled from a US-made mortar shell template, they added.
Inside the shed, Hamas appears to have stored 10 large rockets that the military says have a range of about 60 miles.
The logo of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam brigade, is emblazoned on the walls of the tunnel.
A third tunnel shaft under the farm building was hidden behind a locked door that had come off its hinges, the Times said.
Despite major progress in just a few months, officials warn that disabling the entire tunnel network could take years, and soldiers are working to map every shaft and its attendant traps and other risks.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
