The Israeli authorities are reportedly considering the option of flooding the underground tunnel system, believed to be hiding Hamas fighters, with seawater. According to sources in the US administration cited by The Wall Street Journal, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have already installed five pumping stations near the Ash-Shati refugee camp in mid-November. These installations, capable of pumping water from the Mediterranean Sea, can potentially flood the tunnels within a few weeks.
The WSJ reports that the Israeli authorities have not yet made a final decision on this course of action, and opinions within the US administration, which Israel has informed of this possibility, are also divided.
The article highlights the difficulty in assessing the impact of flooding the tunnels on the soil and groundwater, as the water resistance of the tunnels is uncertain. Additionally, there is a possibility that hazardous substances may enter the soil as a result of the flooding.
On December 3, it was reported that the IDF had discovered 800 tunnel shafts belonging to Hamas since the start of the conflict. According to the Israeli army’s press office, these tunnel shafts were located in residential areas, often near or inside civilian buildings and facilities such as schools, kindergartens, mosques, and playgrounds. Some of these tunnels connected strategic Hamas targets.
A political analyst previously cited one of the reasons for the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
