In a strategic move to counteract the terror activities of Hamas, the Israeli military has reportedly constructed several large pumps with the potential to inundate the extensive network of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip with seawater, according to The Wall Street Journal.
This information was provided by U.S. officials, who revealed that the construction of these five seawater pumps was completed in November, approximately one mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp.
Each of these pumps possesses the capability to extract water from the Mediterranean Sea and transport thousands of cubic meters of water per hour. This would result in the flooding of the tunnels within a matter of weeks, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
However, Israel has not yet confirmed its commitment to this plan, and it remains uncertain whether it would proceed with the flooding while hostages, including Americans, are still being held captive by Hamas.
During the attack on Israel on October 7, the Palestinian terror group reportedly abducted around 240 individuals and transported them back to the Gaza Strip. As per the report, Israel has detected approximately 800 tunnels beneath Gaza, which have been utilized by Hamas to mobilize fighters, stockpile weapons, and orchestrate terror attacks on Israel. Nevertheless, Israeli officials suspect that the tunnel network is significantly more extensive.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a source familiar with the plan, reported that the gradual flooding of the tunnels would allow Hamas terrorists and potentially hostages to evacuate.
The source stated, "We are not sure how successful pumping will be since nobody knows the details of the tunnels and the ground around them. Its impossible to know if that will be effective because we dont know how seawater will drain in tunnels no one has been in before."
An official from the Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the flooding plan, but stated, "The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamass terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools." U.S. officials were reportedly informed of the plan last month, but it remains unknown how close Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is to implementing the plan.
Israel has pledged to persist in its war efforts until Hamas is eliminated in Gaza. The Israeli military announced that it launched its 10,000th airstrike against the terror group in the Gaza Strip late Sunday.
The IDF has targeted over 400 separate Hamas locations since the collapse of the cease-fire agreement on Friday. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated, "Our policy is clear we will forcefully strike any threat posed against our territory."
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