Thea Fathanah Arbar, CNBC Indonesia
Tuesday, 05/12/2023 14:00 WIB
Photo: Hamas Tunnel (REUTERS/RONEN ZVULUN)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israel has assembled a large pump system that can be used to flood tunnels claimed to be used by the militant group Hamas, under the Gaza Strip. This plan was reported Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted Tuesday (5/12/2023).
Citing United States (US) officials, the WSJ report said the Israeli army had completed construction of at least five pumps, about one mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp. These pumps can reportedly discharge thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, flooding the tunnels within weeks.
It is unclear whether Israel will consider using the pump before all the hostages are freed. Hamas previously said it was hiding captives in “safe places and tunnels” and is believed to be one of the points in the tunnels.
In the report, a US official also said it made sense for Israel to make the tunnel inoperable. Israel itself, he said, is exploring various ways to do this.
Unfortunately, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refused to comment on the flood plans. “The IDF operates to dismantle Hamas’ terror capabilities in various ways, using different military tools and technology,” he said on the same page, also written by Al-Arabiya.
The WSJ report said Israel first informed the US about the option last November. But the White House is said to not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is to implementing the plan.
“Israel has not made a final decision on whether to proceed with or shelve the plan,” the report added.
Meanwhile, Israel expanded its ground operations further south into Gaza. British Media, The Guardianreported dozens of Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers entering the Gaza Strip near Khan Younis.
“Israeli military vehicles were in the southern part of the main north-south road in Gaza,” the eyewitness said.
“Israel fired bullets and tank shells at cars and people trying to pass through the area,” he said.
The Israeli military even issued new orders to Palestinians in around 20 areas of central Gaza to move further south. They even put a map online.
Israel has launched new attacks since a ceasefire with Hamas ended last Friday. In total so far, more than 15,500 Gaza civilians have been killed, the majority of whom are children and women.
Watch the video below:
Israel “Expels” Gaza Residents From Khan Younis
(sef/sef)
2023-12-05 07:00:12
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