“Israel has turned on pumps to fill Hamas tunnels with seawater” | Israel-Palestine conflict

The armed forces want to flood the vast underground tunnel system to make it unusable for Hamas operations. The newspaper relies on sources within the American government and reported the installation of five pumps a week ago. Two more have since been added.

The Americans are said to have been informed about the operations of the Israeli army. However, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Minister declined comment and said the information was “confidential”.

The tunnel system under Gaza extends for an estimated 500 kilometers and is said to be compartmentalized with thick security doors. The latter may be an obstacle for the water. That is why Israel is also using other techniques against the tunnels, such as bombings, drones and robots.

Hamas uses the tunnels as a command space, to move troops and to store weapons and ammunition, according to Israel. However, the terror group has also indicated that it is hiding hostages in “safe places and tunnels”. Families of Israelis who are still in custody now fear more for the lives of their loved ones and have also made this clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Just over 100 Israeli hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas.

The water that Israel uses comes from the Mediterranean Sea. Some U.S. officials worry it could endanger Gaza’s drinking water supply. In 2015, Egypt used seawater to flood smugglers’ tunnels under the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. This led to complaints from area farmers about damaged crops.

LOOK. From smuggling route to military added value: this is Hamas’ secret tunnel network