The Israeli army confirms that Gaza's underground tunnels have been flooded with seawater to drive out terrorists

The IDF says its forces, together with Israel's Ministry of Defense, have used various means to flood the underground network of tunnels that Hamas has used in the Gaza Strip to drive out terrorists hiding there.

An IDF map showing the tunnel system it has uncovered in the Bani Suheila neighborhood of southern Gaza. (Israeli Armed Forces)

The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it has pumped seawater to flood Hamas' underground tunnel network in the Gaza Strip. It was the first time the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officially acknowledged that using the controversial strategy, which some United Nations hydrologists and environmental experts warned, could destroy most of Gaza's potable water and undermine agriculture. harm.

The IDF says its forces, together with Israel's Ministry of Defense, have used various means to flood the underground network of tunnels that Hamas has used in the Gaza Strip to drive out terrorists hiding there. The flooding was considered an open secret for weeks, but the IDF finally confirmed the strategy on Tuesday.

“Water pumping was only carried out in tunnel routes and at locations that were suitable, with the method being appropriate for each case,” the IDF said in a statement. “This project was developed under combat procedures, accelerated force building efforts, and while training troops with technological expertise.”

“This instrument represents a major technical and technological breakthrough in the fight against the threat of underground terrorist infrastructure and is the result of a joint effort between various agencies in the Israeli security establishment,” the IDF added.

The IDF said this strategy represents a major technical and technological breakthrough in the fight against the threat of Hamas's underground terror infrastructure and is the result of a joint effort between various agencies in the Israeli security establishment.

The IDF did not elaborate further on the flooding of the tunnels.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported last month that Israel had built five large seawater pumps that were completed in November, about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp. Each pump is capable of drawing water from the Mediterranean Sea and moving thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, which would flood the tunnels within weeks, the report said.