The Gaza Metro: Hamas’s Underground Tunnel Network

A fighter from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic organization Hamas, in August 2014 in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories/Mohammed Salem/Reuters/File

2023.10.18 Wed posted at 20:09 JST

(CNN) It ​​is well known that there are countless tunnels under the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian autonomous region, that are used for smuggling from Egypt and for attacks on Israel.

However, there is another tunnel inside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called the “Gaza Metro.” According to one theory, the maze of vast tunnels several kilometers deep escapes the surveillance of IDF fighter jets and reconnaissance drones, and is used to transport people and supplies, store rockets and ammunition, and is used by the Islamic group Hamas. It is also used as a command center.

In 2021, Hamas claimed that about 500 kilometers of tunnels existed beneath Gaza. It is unclear whether this number is correct or a bluff. If correct, Hamas’s underground tunnels would be less than half the length of the New York City subway system.

“It’s a huge, vast network of tunnels, very intricate for a small area,” said Professor Daphne Richmond-Barak, an expert on underground warfare who teaches at Israel’s Reichmann University.

It is unclear how much Hamas, which rules the beleaguered coastal region, paid for the tunnel network. It seems that he was a considerable burden, both in terms of expense and labor.

An Israeli military commander inspects a tunnel between Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, February 2018/Uriel Sinai/The New York Times/Redux

Since 2007, Gaza has been surrounded by Israel on land, sea and air, and its land route is also blocked from Egypt. Therefore, it is unlikely that they owned the heavy machinery normally used to dig tunnels deep underground. Experts believe workers likely used basic tools to dig the tunnel underground, connect it with electricity, and reinforce it with concrete. Israel has long accused Hamas of diverting concrete supplied for civilian and humanitarian purposes to construct tunnels.

Critics say that instead of spending so much money on building tunnels, Hamas could have built civilian air raid shelters and air raid warning networks like those along the border with Israel. I also have an opinion.

Advantageous for asymmetric warfare

Underground tunnels have been used as tools of war since the Middle Ages. Today, in asymmetric warfare, tunnels continue to override some of the technological advantages of modernized militaries like the IDF and give paramilitary groups such as Hamas an advantage.

The international terrorist organization Al Qaeda has built tunnels in the mountains of Afghanistan, and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam has built tunnels in the jungles of Southeast Asia, but Hamas’s tunnels are different in that they are dug in some of the most densely populated areas of the world. Nearly 2 million people live in the 88 square miles (approximately 228 square kilometers) that make up Gaza City.

Professor Richmond Barak said: “To be clear, tunnels are always difficult to manage, whether in the mountains or in any other situation.But in urban areas, everything becomes complicated.Tactically, strategically. “Physically, operationally. And, of course, the protection that we’re trying to guarantee to civilians.” Professor Richmond Barak is also a senior research fellow at the Lieber Institute for Ground Warfare and the Institute for Modern Warfare at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

Israeli special forces soldiers train using virtual reality (VR) that mimics the tunnels of the Islamic organization Hamas, April 2017/Rina Castelnuovo/Bloomerg/Getty Images/File

Since a surprise attack on Israel on the 7th of this month left more than 1,400 people dead, mostly civilians, the IDF has reported that Hamas has been hiding in tunnels “underneath houses and inside buildings where innocent Gaza citizens gather,” and is deporting civilians. He repeatedly claims that he is acting as a shield for the person above him.

The IDF is expected to target the tunnel network in the upcoming ground war in Gaza. In recent years, it has shown a willingness to spare no effort to eliminate Hamas tunnels. In 2014, they launched a ground attack on Gaza with the goal of destroying the underground tunnels.

According to the United Nations, Israel on the 13th warned Gaza’s approximately 1.1 million residents to move south ahead of a possible ground war. Critics said it would be impossible to carry out such orders at the last minute in a region in the midst of fighting. A senior UN human rights official said the evacuation order “violates the rules of war and principles of humanity.”

The tunnels could be removed safely if civilians were evacuated from Gaza. But as Professor Richmond Barak says, such operations are risky.

It is also conceivable that the IDF could temporarily make the tunnel unavailable or destroy it. According to Professor Richmond Barak, the most effective method is generally to bomb underground passages, but this can also affect civilians.

One thing we know is that technology alone won’t stop the threat of underground tunnels.

Israel has spent billions of dollars to fortify its borders with smart technology, including cutting-edge sensors and underground walls. However, Hamas was still able to launch a surprise attack from land, sea and air on the 7th of this month.

Professor Richmond-Barak says a comprehensive response is needed, including image analysis, border surveillance and asking civilians to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.

“There is no iron-clad solution to the threat of tunnels. There is no ‘iron dome’ for tunnels.” (Professor Richmond Barak)

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2023-10-18 11:09:00