Staff Reports
In the treacherous depths beneath Gaza, Israeli soldiers and Hamas terrorists are engaged in a fierce battle that offers no glory or flashy explosions — only a cold, clammy fear in an intense struggle that unfolds inch by inch through a labyrinth where death lurks at every turn.
Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the former leader of U.S. Central Command, warned, “We should have no illusions about how this is going to be. It will be bloody, brutal fighting,” as reported by The New York Times.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the fight for control over the vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza had commenced, according to Reuters.
“Over the last day, the combined IDF struck approximately 300 targets, including anti-tank missile and rocket launch sites within the tunnels of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF stated.
Hamas, however, claims that it is fiercely contesting Israel’s advance. “The occupation is pushing its soldiers into proud Gaza, which will always be the cemetery of invaders,” the Hamas terrorist group declared, as reported by Reuters.
For years, Israel has maintained control over the airspace above Gaza, but Hamas has cunningly constructed an extensive network of tunnels beneath the territory as a means to evade Israeli airstrikes. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that Hamas has even built their headquarters beneath hospitals within Gaza, as reported by CBS News.
Pursuing Hamas within the very tunnels they have painstakingly prepared is a daunting task. “It’s a moist, dark, terrifying, claustrophobic environment where you never know what’s around the corner, literally,” explained Daphne Richemond Barak, a tunnel warfare researcher with over a decade of experience, in an interview with CNN.
She continued with a touch of humor, “There’s not a lot of air. If you’re going to be there for a long time, you need oxygen, especially if you’re a soldier. And in some of the tunnels, you need to bend down because they’re not very high. When you enter one of these tunnels very quickly, you lose your sense of direction completely — where you came from, where you’re going.”
Richemond Barak firmly believes that achieving victory over Hamas necessitates winning the subterranean war. “Israel understands that to eliminate or destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, this subterranean network of tunnels, where Hamas has its arsenal and command and control, needs to be eliminated,” she stated. “I won’t say entirely eliminated because I believe it’s impossible. But it needs to be a significant blow to this capability.”
However, she acknowledged the complexity of the situation, emphasizing the importance of clearing the tunnels without compromising the lives of innocent civilians who may be held hostage. Given the urban environment in which the tunnels are situated, protecting civilians becomes a challenging task.
According to CNN, Hamas asserts that as of 2021, it has constructed over 300 miles of tunnels beneath Gaza. Richemond Barak described this vast network as “a very intricate, very large — huge — network of tunnels on a rather small piece of territory.”
The Israel Defense Forces are facing an arduous and dangerous mission as they delve into the dark depths to defeat an enemy entrenched in the underground maze. However, with their determination and strategic expertise, they aim to strike a significant blow to Hamas.
