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Source: Times of Israel
Israel said to set up pumps in Gaza for flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater
Wall Street Journal says IDF has yet to decide on whether to go ahead with plan to flood terror group’s subterranean passages and hideaways, with opinions mixed in US
By TOI STAFF | December 6, 2023
Source: Times of Israel
Israel said to set up pumps in Gaza for flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater
Wall Street Journal says IDF has yet to decide on whether to go ahead with plan to flood terror group’s subterranean passages and hideaways, with opinions mixed in US
By TOI STAFF | December 6, 2023
IDF troops operate in northern Gaza near the mouth of a Hamas tunnel in this handout
Israel has readied plans to flood Hamas's system of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with water pumped from the Mediterranean Sea, a move aimed at destroying the terror group's subterranean network of passages and hideaways and driving its fighters above ground, according to a report Monday.
Quoting US officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Israel Defense Forces last month set up five large water pumps near the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, which are capable of flooding the tunnels within weeks by pumping thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into them.
The officials said Israel alerted the US about the plan last month, but has not yet decided on whether to implement it.
The report noted it was unclear whether the IDF would move to flood the tunnels before all of the hostages that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups abducted during the October 7 onslaught in southern Israel were freed, due to the apparent risk that would be posed to hostages being held underground.
According to the report, opinions in Biden administration were mixed, with some officials expressing concern about the Israeli plan while others said they back Israel's efforts to destroy the tunnels and that there isn't necessarily any American opposition.
Among the concerns cited by the newspaper were potential damage to Gaza's aquifer and soil, if seawater and hazardous substances in the tunnels seep into them, as well as the possible impact on the foundations of buildings.
Quoting US officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Israel Defense Forces last month set up five large water pumps near the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, which are capable of flooding the tunnels within weeks by pumping thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into them.
The officials said Israel alerted the US about the plan last month, but has not yet decided on whether to implement it.
The report noted it was unclear whether the IDF would move to flood the tunnels before all of the hostages that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups abducted during the October 7 onslaught in southern Israel were freed, due to the apparent risk that would be posed to hostages being held underground.
According to the report, opinions in Biden administration were mixed, with some officials expressing concern about the Israeli plan while others said they back Israel's efforts to destroy the tunnels and that there isn't necessarily any American opposition.
Among the concerns cited by the newspaper were potential damage to Gaza's aquifer and soil, if seawater and hazardous substances in the tunnels seep into them, as well as the possible impact on the foundations of buildings.
This handout picture released by the Israeli army shows troops on the ground in
the northern Gaza Strip on December 2, 2023 (Israel Defense Forces)
"We are not sure how successful pumping will be since nobody knows the details of the tunnels and the ground around them," a person familiar with the plan told the Wall Street Journal. "It's impossible to know if that will be effective because we don't know how seawater will drain in tunnels no one has been in before."
Please go to Times of Israel to continue reading.
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The ruling elite working with the intelligence agencies of the UK and the US will do whatever it takes including the death of hundreds of Israelis to level the Gaza Strip, remove the Palestinians and then carry forward Israel's economic infrastructure planning for the future.
Land grab into southern Lebanon expected:
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