The Israel Defense Forces’ engineering corps began a large-scale operation to destroy Hamas tunnels in areas of the Gaza Strip, where IDF troops had already entered; more than 100 tunnels have already been destroyed.
Source: The Times of Israel and news site Walla
Details: The military is reported to be using various types of robots and explosive devices to destroy tunnels, detonate booby traps set by Hamas, and kill terrorists.
Direct speech from a senior officer of the Southern Command: “Perhaps at first they could harass us, sting us, shoot from the exits of the tunnels, but after we established control over the territories, the engineering operation began. We are going to block the entrances and tunnels. This will become a killing zone. They made a mistake, they “They have chosen a place from which they cannot escape. They will die in the tunnels.”
Details: It is reported that troops have already destroyed about 100 tunnels, not counting those destroyed by airstrikes.
Former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, who joined the army on October 7 and is involved in combat operations against terrorists, said in an interview with Army Radio that IDF soldiers “under no circumstances” should and will not enter Hamas terrorist tunnels.
Golan’s direct speech: “You don’t need to go into the tunnels. It would be a big mistake to go into the tunnels (where Hamas is hiding and waiting – ed). The wisdom is to find the entrances and seal them, or blow smoke that will force the enemy to come out or harm him. “Under no circumstances do you fight in tunnels… where there is no chance you won’t get hurt. You don’t fight inside tunnels, you fight the threat of tunnels.”
Remarking that Hamas could remain in its vast network of underground tunnels “forever,” Golan said: “Take my word for it. Today, the IDF has all the capabilities to effectively fight the tunnels. It has all the knowledge and means.”
He added that from the moment the military finds the entrances to the tunnels, “the tunnels become a death trap for the enemy” as “full advantage goes to the attacking forces.”
Asked whether the IDF would have to enter Shifa Hospital to locate the tunnel entrances and deal with them, Golan said he did not know how the fighting would unfold. He stressed that the fight against Hamas and the release of hostages are two important tasks of the army.
Asked whether he would support a deal in which the hostages were released in exchange for safe passage of Hamas leadership to Iran, Syria or elsewhere, Golan said: “If only. If we can reach a situation where the Hamas leaders leave, and our hostages would be freed, it would be too good to be true.”
He stressed that “nobody knows what is realistic” in terms of any such agreement.
“But are we willing to pay a high price for the release of the hostages? The answer is yes,” Golan said.
Background:
2023-11-02 11:18:07
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